


Cloudy Rain and Thunder

by LadyCroft_Undead19



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Original Character-centric, Reincarnation, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 00:31:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 199,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14965181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyCroft_Undead19/pseuds/LadyCroft_Undead19
Summary: You know that feeling you have when things just keep getting worse and worse as the day goes on? The feeling that you should've stayed in bed for the day? Yeah, well... I had it. And I should have really listened to it. Self-Insert, OC AU story. OC born as Yamamoto Takeshi's younger brother.





	1. Part I - Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello!  
> This fanfic is cross-posted on FanFiction.net if ya wanna check the story there.  
> I've been writing this fanfic since 2015 and I'm only now posting it here because my friend thought it would be a good idea.
> 
> Hope you guys like it!

You know that feeling you have when things just keep getting worse and worse as the day goes on? The feeling that you should've stayed in bed for the day?

Yeah, well... I had it. And I should have really listened to it. But I mean, at sixteen, do you seriously believe that strongly in superstitions? I didn't. The first sign that that day was going to be terrible was when I woke up.

I woke up with cold feet (which I absolutely hate!), and with a massive headache. My cellphone was almost dead and my tablet was out of battery so no distractions I could use at school to keep others from coming over and talking to me.

My mom forgot to wake me up so I was late, my brother was already inside the bathroom so another ten minutes before I could get changed, and my breakfast was cold.

So, not a happy start to a new day. My old backpack (I'd been using it since ninth grade now) looked like it was going to burst at its seams, overflowing with disorganized papers and notebooks and stray notes that I all but tossed inside it. I kissed my mother goodbye and met up with my father as he was coming back from walking the dog on his morning run. I pet Saturday's head and hugged my father. My brother was just walking out of the house then to shout his goodbyes at me.

So not everything was bad...

Then school started. Let me tell you, no matter what others say, school is that time in your life where you make lasting memories and shape your personality, but it's also the time you most want to forget.

Seriously, I know school is important, but I always willed myself just to get through the day with the jeers and taunts they oh-so frequently sent me. I wonder if being blind to verbal abuse is part of a teacher's curriculum. Because c'mon, the ' _kids being kids_ ' excuse can only get you so far. When those ' _jokes_ ' make the other kid cry that's obviously past the ' _joke_ ' part.

But I digress... I don't have that much faith in humanity anyway.

So classes started and I just sat there in my seat, right in front of the classroom (because I couldn't see a neon yellow sign in front of me to save my life, I have really poor eyesight), and started to write my story ideas while the teacher droned on and on about how the rural areas of our country were important.

I felt like sleeping. My feet were starting to warm up a bit thanks to my fuzzy and colorful socks (I swear I must have an obsession with colorful socks, as I have none in either white or black or even a single one in a solid color), and to my black boots.

I'm wearing my green sweater with foxes on them (favorite animal, and one of the most awesome animals in history), with dark grey loose jeans. I have a red scarf with me and my matching bonnet but I can't wear either while I'm inside the classroom.

I was minding my own business when lo-and-behold dear Claire (my most annoying ' _classmate_ '), tosses an eraser right at my hand while I'm writing. Just so you know, I don't write with pencils anymore in fear that they will erase the stories and theories I had work my butt off to come up with, so I only write in permanent ink.

The problem? They had freakishly good aim when it came to tossing erasers at my fingers. Every time one hit my hand while I was writing a whole lot would be messed up and I couldn't say anything to them unless I wanted dear Mr. Thomas on my case about not paying attention to class and taking away my work.

I really hated them. But every time I wanted to yell at them or just stop taking their taunts, I reminded myself that they were just weak, lonely and probably frustrated little kids.

How can you get mad at that? You can't. You end up taking pity. My word of advice?

**Don't.**

Remember when I told you my day was not going great? Yeah, well... It ended fantastically! (Read: Sarcasm.)

School ended after seven hours of classes (each class last one hour plus a ten minute break in between, not counting the one hour and a half of lunch), and I was ready to go home. I was walking back home from school when I noticed that the sky was darkening.

' _Rain?_ ' I thought.

It was not uncommon for it to rain in this season, but the weatherman said nothing about rain this morning. I flip out my cellphone and text my mother saying that I was going home, that I thought it was going to rain and that I loved her.

**I should have called her instead.**

I hated calling my mother when she was working. She always had to hang up once a customer entered (though 95,9% of the time they ended up not buying anything) and I always wanted to just keep talking and talking so I'd rather just talk back at home uninterrupted.

Now, though, I was regretting my choice. _I really wanted to hear her voice in the end..._

Before I could realize what was happening, Claire and the school goons were grabbing me out of the empty street and taking me god knows where. Now, let it be known that I fought back—but tiny me (I weigh a total of 47 kg, so I'm really light) could not even shove one of them off of me before another took their place. I panicked and tried to scream but Claire wrapped something around my mouth.

**I did not cry.**

They took me to this old bridge, where the cables were all worn and falling apart, and then they laughed and taunted. They took my cellphone and threw it into the bushes to have another laugh at my expense. Oh, really funny, now I'll have to dig my phone out from the bushes under the night sky without a light before I went home.

**Which I never did.**

Claire then had this ' _brilliant_ ' idea.

"Hey, hey! Isn't she supposed to have really bad balance? Doesn't she trip on her own feet and everything?" She laughs. "I have this great idea then!"

I cringe at the thought of the words Claire and idea put together.

The goons all joined in this childish circle of 'friends' and started giggling and jeering. I'm not feeling very well right now. I feel sick and I think I was starting to shake.

Call it intuition or whatever but somehow I just knew that this was going to end rather badly.

They split between two groups (with three members looking completely disgusted and terrified before running away), and they got this long piece of rope and a blindfold.

_My heart sank at the words they told me._

I was going to be blindfolded. I was to hold onto the rope like a freaking life line. And I was to walk across the bridge on the guard-rail it had on it's sides.  **Me** , the girl that trips down the stairs of her bunk bed every morning.

I refused but nonetheless they forced me into the blindfold and onto the rails.

My heart felt like it was going to burst and I was shaking like a leaf. My knuckles were white as I gripped onto the flimsy and ancient rope that really was my life line.

My mind just kept going blank when I tried to do something.

They started yelling at me to get moving and to start walking but I was rooted in place.

Two goons pulled on end of the rope forcing me to take a step forward. Vertigo hit me and I felt like I was going to be sick. Claire's laugh sounded so loud. My heart was pounding like a drum in my ears. I wanted my mother at that point.

_I wanted to see my **mother**._

_I wanted to see my **father**._

_I wanted to see my **big brother**._

_I wanted to **hug**  them and  **kiss**  them._

_To **hold**  onto them and  **cry**  and  **beg**  them once again to just let me study at home._

_To **tell**  them I was scared. To just  **know**  that they were right there in front of me._

**_I WANT MY PARENTS!_ **

The goons once again pulled on the rope, harsher than the last time and the rope  _snapped_.

Balance lost and without someone to grab me, I fell off of the bridge and into the rocky waters below.

The last thing I heard was Claire's scream of horror.

I either drowned or I died from trauma to the head. I was found by policemen when the three boys that ran away called them. They did not come for me fast enough...

My funeral was a quiet arrangement. No classmates or teachers came. Just my parents and my aunt and two of my cousins. Their sister didn't want to come and the last grandmother I had wasn't really all that kind with me.

I died alone without crying or sobbing or begging them to stop.

My heart shattered and I was lost as to how I was supposed to piece it back together. I cried out only then.

When I was surrounded by darkness and when I couldn't hear or see a thing. I don't want to see darkness! I want to see light! Why can't I just be happy for once... Why can't I just be at peace?

_'You can have another chance...'_

I can..? How? That's impossible.

_'Nothing is impossible, child...'_

Then... Why me?

_'Because your broken heart has great potential, child...'_

Potential for what?

_'To harness so much power... Oh, yes... You can be so powerful...'_

How...? I'm just me... The same old me that... does nothing...

_'Oh no, child... On the contrary...'_

**'It's you that always drifts far away from everyone but that is always there if they need you or are in danger...'**

I remember watching my brother struggle with his job before I stepped in to tell him to eat, to go to sleep and to try again tomorrow.

**'It's you that always calms others down and makes the hurt and suffering go away...'**

I remember watching my mother crying because my maternal grandparents had passed. I remember staying by her side and later making her smile by telling her all the happy memories she had of them.

**'It's you that would rather be hurt then to have harm come to others...'**

I remember standing in front of my younger cousin when a older kid tried to pick on him. I got slapped hard but at least he was alright.

I was crying so hard right at that moment. Remembering them hurt so much.

I miss them... How long has it been since I died? Days? Weeks? Years?

"How can I... How can I get a second chance?"

_A soft laugh echoes..._

**_'...Live...'_ **

Then the darkness vanishes and I'm blinded by the the sudden bright light that engulfs me.

A cry escapes my lips as I'm tugged out of a slippery tube and held high with cheers sounding around me. My eyes are blurred and sounds seemed somewhat dulled.

I'm cold. Like really cold. And I hate cold feet!

Hands wrap a warm and fuzzy blanket around me before handing me to someone's arms. I hear gibberish and slowly try to open my eyes.

The first thing that pops inside my head is how this day just couldn't get any worse...

I was in some woman's arms. She was smiling at me with a man beside her. And she kept speaking in a tongue I knew but couldn't understand. Japanese.

Wow... I was... just wow...

The woman was beautiful with brownish hair and gray blue eyes while the man had short black hair and warm brown eyes.

They were talking to one another, more specifically they were arguing about something. (Later I found out that it was about my name...)

Just before I closed my eyes again, I could only understand a single line:

-"His name is  _Yamamoto Natsushi_ , and that is final!"

Dreams of another life vanished into a closed box in the back of my head. Only to ever be open if I ever suffered trauma again. My whole life, forgotten.

_Forgotten to give space to a new one that would surely be better than the last..._


	2. Part I - Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes again I was in a place surrounded by other babies, wrapped up in a blue blanket, and lying in a transparent plastic cot.

My mind was groggy and to be quite honest I felt  _odd_. Like I knew what was happening but at the same time I was lost as to what was going on.

I yawned. I tried to stretch my arms but not only were they restricted, instead of moving my arms, it was my legs that jerked.

I blinked. Waited a few seconds and then tried again.

My legs jerked again instead of my arms. My mood dropped like three degrees before a sniffle caught my attention.

I moved my head to the side and saw that the cot beside me was occupied by a small pink bundle. A girl, huh?

She was trying to move as well, I deduced by the way her blanket was moving. Much like myself, she was failing. I would have tried to gurgle some encouragement but her next course of action was to belly out the most high pitched cry I had ever heard.

My whole body jerked in surprise before my next worry became a painful headache as the whole nursery started crying (excluding me), and nurses rushed in to shush us.

One nurse in particular stopped by her cot and gave her an exasperated look. Guess it was not the first time she had pulled the shrieking card, huh?

She picked the girl up and started to rock her, trying unsuccessfully to stop her cries. I just kind of stared as she walked back and forth beside her cot while two other nurses cared for the rest of the babies.

By their cries I deduced that there were two or three more babies apart from me and the girl inside of the nursery.

I pondered if I should be crying as well but my head was hurting a bit too much for me to even think about making noise. I decided to just remain quiet.

The nurse was still trying to make her stop crying. Well, she did kind of stop if you didn't count the sobbing and hiccups.

I sighed.

_Loudly, apparently..._

The nurse turned to me and she looked surprised.

Her head turned and she said something to some other nurse as there was suddenly someone right beside my cot with a concerned look in her eyes.  _I wonder why?_

They spoke in gibberish again. Or at least it was gibberish to me. The first nurse passed the baby girl to the other nurse and picked me up instead. As I was now on a higher point of view I could finally see the girl's face.

I blinked.

Her face was chubby and she had wisps of fair hair on her head, but what surprised me were her eyes.

Big pinkish eyes stared at me with interest as well. And I swear that for a moment it was like her eyes had flashed a hazy midnight blue color before fading back into the pinkish eyes.

I blinked again and became completely mesmerized by her eyes. What just happened?! What was that?! Her eyes changed color?!

I saw that she had stopped crying and was instead staring intently at me. Laughter is the thing that jerks us back to reality. My eyes move up to stare at the two laughing nurses.

She says something that makes the nurse holding the girl coo at us.

And then my ears pick something I understand:

"Now... Chiyo-chan! It... too early ... catch... boy... attention!"

They laugh again.

_Chiyo-chan?_  Was that her name? It was somehow fitting. I found myself looking at her again.

She blinked and stuck her tongue out. I snorted and tried to roll my eyes, figures nothing serious was going to happen like crazy color changing eyes. I felt the nurse shift me in her hold so she could take Chiyo in her arms also.

"So you're friends, huh? Well, since you're awake you might as well go to your parent's room."

And with that she started to walk with us in her arms, the other nurse trailing behind as she continued to laugh.

But I wasn't really paying attention to that as I was focused on looking around where I was. It was a hospital (as if the nurses hadn't been enough of a giveaway) but it seemed to be quite big and bright.

Too bright, in my humble opinion. Chiyo was looking around too but the thumb in her mouth made it look like she was totally out of it.

The nurse walked for a while until she asked the other nurse to knock on the door for her. It was a male voice that answered and the nurse then opened the door.

Inside there was a bed, two chairs and a small table that was currently being hidden underneath lots and lots of balloons and gifts.

There was the woman from yesterday lying on the bed and a small boy was sitting beside her. The man realizing who it was smiled and got up from his chair and walked towards the nurse.

The nurse entered with the two of us (which caused confusion to the couple, because they certainly only had had a new child and not two), and she told them the tale of how I was apparently mesmerized by little Chiyo.

My parents (I guess) laughed and my father made jokes about me having fallen in love at first sight. Yeah,  _right_... It wasn't her, it was her eyes! They changed color!

The nurse passed me to my mother's arms and then said she was going to take Chiyo to her parents.

She left.

My mother shifted me in her arms and started to unwrap me from my blanket. The little boy that had been sitting beside her came closer to me and smiled when I glanced in his direction.

He babbled about something to my father who answered in a goofy voice.

To me the voices still sounded like gibberish but I had to acknowledge that it was getting easier to understand bits and pieces, mostly because they were expressive enough for me to come to the conclusion that he was my big brother and that he was way too excited about me.

That and that my mother was amazed with me apparently.

They kept talking about eyes and about hair. Mine, I guessed.

The boy suddenly asked something and my father made a face while my mother giggled.

"His name is Natsushi," was what she answered.

The boy seemed confused with that and asked something else.

My mother sighed and told him something that made his eyes widen. He seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion as he got up real close to my face and whispered something to me.

And by whispered, I mean he pretty much talked normally but up close to my ear.

"Guess what, Natsu, I'm yo' big brother s' I gotta look after y'a!"

Ow. Did I mention that I have a headache?

My mother laughed again and resumed uncovering me. I was wearing a white onesie and a white hat, my feet had white socks and there were white gloves on my hands. Jeesh, talk about  **too much white**.

As soon as my arms were unrestricted I stretched my arms and legs (for good measure, as I was still having difficulty moving around), and opened my mouth in another yawn.

My mother and father cooed while my older brother laughed.

"Haha, Natsu just woke up!"

"He did, didn't he Takeshi?" My father said to him, while patting him on the head.

"Do you want to pick an outfit for him?" My mother asked.

It was like someone turned a switch on, Takeshi's smile vamped to blinding levels and he hopped off of the bed and all but ran to the big bag beside the table. I hear clothes and other objects being moved and shuffled but I was more interested in my mother and father.

They were similar, in a way, but very different.

My mother looked young. Now that she wasn't in pain and tired, her hair and features were much smoother. She had brownish hair that was curling near the tips and ran a little past her shoulders, and had full lips and soft eyes that were bluish and silver. There was a mole on her cheek a bit below her right eye and another at the corner of her face.

Her skin was light and just a tad tanned, like she spent time in the countryside.

My father was the opposite. Tan skin and short black hair that stuck up in places. He was obviously older that my mother, maybe three or four years older, with features that made him look like a field worker.

His eyes were a deep brown that looked warm and inviting.

They were similar because both of them practically oozed an aura of love and kindness. It was...  _soothing_.

A slight bump in the bed signified that Takeshi had return to my mother's side (our mother, I amended in my head), and was showing her something.

I turned my head towards him and what was in his hands.

Now Takeshi was a mix of both my - _our_ \- parents. He had slightly tanned skin and short black hair. He had our father's eye color but the shape was our mother's. His lips was our father's but his features were a tad smoother than his.

His smile? Definitely mother's.

And in his hands? A sleeper that had buttons in the shape of fish. It had green and blue stripes down it and covered my feet.

Well, it could be worse... Having a what... four year old?... choose what I have to wear for a while is not something I would have recommended.

Takeshi shifted closer when our mother asked him something else.

He smiled and his eyes lit up.  _Should I worry?_

I was turned completely around to face my brother and our mother started to give him instructions (I guess) about something.

He shyly started to take off my gloves and socks. Oh, so mother asked him if he wanted to dress me? So I have two options: Be stubborn or be helpful.

I looked at Takeshi, the perfect picture of a loving, caring, responsible and protective big brother. I sighed and let him do what he wanted (I'm a sucker for cute kids, it's going to be the death of me I swear), and just thought back on my situation.

I didn't need to be a genius to figure out that I was not normal. Nor did I need help to realize that I knew more than I should. So the question was: What the hell happened?

I came up blank. I knew how to speak and understood most things, had just a tiny knowledge of Japanese, and I believe I saw color changing eyes a while ago.

Huh... _It couldn't get any worse, could it?_

* * *

Three weeks later I was going home. I had seen Chiyo a total of three more times before she went home a week back, apparently her parents were told the same tale about how we just immediately liked each other and would come over for a while during the afternoon when the mother's had their babies in the room.

Her eyes changed color once more when I was all but glaring at her after a stunt she pulled on me one day. And it had been like shadows suddenly shifted in the room and everything went quiet for a second.

_I did not want to piss her off again after that._

So here I was, lying inside a baby carrier as my father opened the door to our house/restaurant. Oh, yeah. I found out that my parents had a sushi shop.

And wasn't that hilarious?

The shop was named Take  _sushi_.

My brother's name was Take shi.

Mine was Nat  _sushi_.

My eyes mentally rolled every time single time someone asked my father the reason behind my name. My mother was still resting so she wasn't normally seen around the restaurant, but she sometimes came and sat in a chair beside the counter.

My room was quite simple. A rocker chair, a dresser, a few toys and a crib. The walls were painted in a light brown color and there was a white padded thing added on the sides of them (This was supposed to keep me from painting and damaging the walls too much, something learned after Takeshi had a coloring phase).

Finally, when I was left alone inside my room, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, as you can see from the title of the chapter, this story is effectively split onto 3 main parts.  
> \- Part I - From ages 0 to 3  
> \- Part II - From 3 to 10  
> \- Part III - Canon Start - Takeshi will be 14 years old.  
> As of 18/06/18 Part I is complete and Part II is somewhere between halfway done and not nearly there. Hehe...


	3. Part I - Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a funny thing about all of my Oc's name, if you want to find out here's a little hint:  
>  -> What do all KHR characters have in common? In both canon and in the fandom?

If someone ever tells you that being a baby is great, tell them to shut up and be serious for once.

Being a baby is the epitome of boring, humiliating, and being highly self conscious. To put it simply you can't do a single thing or even move properly because your brain can't process it yet. Oh, and of course you fall asleep every two hours and you just don't control your bladder.

Sounds fun to you? Yeah, it doesn't sound very appealing now does it?

And who could forget the attention you get? I'm not sure if it is normal or not but every time I wake up there's someone new cooing at me. They all say the same things and the same compliments so after visitor number twelve I just kind of ignored them and went back to sleep.

That was, unless mother or father thought it wise to just hand me over to a complete stranger's' arms.  _Really_? Because I mean,  **I**  was  **not pleased**  when it happen the first time, and I was even less pleased after the fifth.

And they just laughed at my glare and called me ' _cute_ '.

Let's establish some boundaries here:  **I AM NOT CUTE!**

Not now, not ever! I am not cute and that is final!

Huh... Being a baby is hard work. No wonder they all forget this part by the time their brains develop.

_I'm not sure exactly how I know that..._

Anyways, I was pretending to be asleep inside my room. No guest had come yet (and hopefully there would be none), and mother had put me inside so that I was not disturbed by the rambunctious restaurant diners. And I was thankful for that.

But that didn't mean I was going to quietly fall asleep when I could try to think of something to do or plan.

So far I had come up short on how to find a solution or answers as to what I was going through and to how I knew what I knew.

But wasn't it funny on how I was pretty sure that if I could type my question on a computer that I was certain an answer would pop up. Though, the problem was that there was no computer anywhere, that I was suspicious that there would only be Japanese characters on the keyboard and, oh I don't know... I was a baby.

Sighing, I stretched my arms and legs. That was quickly becoming a habit of mine, but who was I to care?

I really wished I could do something and not just lay here doing nothing...

The door of the bedroom opened and I quickly shut my eyes tightly.

"Hah... Are yo' sleeping, Natsu?" Takeshi's voice whispers.

I crack one eye open and stare at him.  _Was that enough of an answer, Big brother?_

He looks at me and smiles.

"Guess what?" He asks.

_What?_

"Grandpa and Grandma are coming to visit us!" He says excitedly.

_Grandparents? Never met them. Are they nice?_

"They are super nice an' super cool! Grandpa was once a baseball player, yo' know?" He tells me with wide eyes and excited gestures.

_No, I did not know that, thank you for the information anyway. By the way, was he reading my mind or what?_

"An' Mama was just sayin' to papa about how Grandpa was goin' to go crazy when he saw you!" Takeshi smiles.

_Why was he going to go crazy once he saw me? And, Takeshi, mind your grammar. I don't want to learn how to speak the language from misleading sources._

Takeshi was just about to continue rambling when mother appeared at the door and made a throaty noise to Takeshi that meant 'What are you doing here? And go to your room.'

She walked over to me when my brother left my side and caressed my cheek and tussled my hair.

Oh, yeah! Haven't told you yet have I?

I was born with a head full of hair, so no bald me! Ahahaha! At least something positive!

"Oh, what am I going to do?" My mother's voice whispers almost to herself.

I blink at her and decide to celebrate my hair later.

"They don't mind Takeshi much since he looks very much like Tou-san himself but you, Natsu..." she continues to say, her voice heavy and somewhat sorrowful.

_I was missing something here wasn't I?_

"You look so much like Him that I would not be surprised if okaa-san mistook you for him," she smiled, "Your eyes are the same shade as his, only your hair is a few shades darker thanks to your papa, you know?"

_No, no I did not. And who was she comparing me to anyway?_

"Ah, sometimes it's just like you are him. The same depth in your eyes as if you knew exactly what was going on. Even when it's impossible for you..." Mother continued," Oh, Natsu, otou-san will either raise you high in the air or he'll shout about not wanting to see you."

_Oh... Is it a bad time to say:_ **a.** _I do know what going on around me, and I can understand you a bit; plus_ **b.** _Why would he cry? And who are you comparing me to?_

"Your tou-san says that he won't mind but I can see that he had doubts too, I mean, why else would he make mistakes on three different orders today alone?" She tells me.

Or, well, she's not really telling me. She's just speaking to the air as I am sure she is not expecting an answer.

For what I gather from that information pool. I have grandparents that probably don't live nearby; my grandfather used to be a baseball player; I look a lot like someone you all knew?

_Wow, this life just gets better and better doesn't it?_

"Oh,  _Niki_..." A mutter escapes my mother's lips.

At the same time something wet falls onto my cheeks.

_Tears?_

I blink and look up at my mother.

She trying to hold back the sobs but her tears are freely spilling out of her eyes and onto me. Her eyes that were silvery blue are now darkened like a stormy sky. The blue is the rain, the silver the clouds.

The tears make her eyes shimmer and though it's a sad sight, I find it oddly beautiful.

Well, mother is more beautiful when she's happy, hands down. But she's never ugly. Never.

But I also have never seen mother sad before. She's always so happy and cheerful.

_Was it all a lie?_

_'How was your day?'_

_'It was great!'_

_What was that? I think I blanked out there for a second._

_Who did those voices belong to? Why does my chest hurt? What..._

Was it truly a lie all along? Had mother been sad ever since I had been born? Did I put her in pain by looking like someone else?

How could I not see this before?! Mother is always the first person that walks in my bedroom in the mornings! She's always there every day, so how did  **I**  not see this?!

A side-note, I despise loud noises (Maybe it is an influence from knowing Chiyo). So I was surprised at myself when I just start shrieking.

Mother's sadness is all but forgotten in the fright I gave her and she just started to coax me to stop crying.

Not an easy task I might add. I wanted to stop crying, my head felt like it was going to split open, but my chest felt so tight. It hurt and I just couldn't stop.

I only stopped due to exhaustion, and by then the day was over and I just ate and went to sleep.

* * *

So today is the fateful day where I will meet for the first time my grandparents.

How it is starting?

_Not good._

Mother and father thought that it would be  _funny_  to dress me up in the most adorable clothes possible for today.

So what am I wearing right now?

A romper. More specifically, a white romper with the image of a shrimp wrapped in seaweed. To be even more specific, I was dressed as a sushi roll.

_You've got to be kidding me._

"Oh, look Takeshi! Your otouto looks so cute I could eat him up!" Mother coos.

"You can't do that! Then Natsu would be bye-bye!" Takeshi's childish reasoning was astonishing sometimes.

"Ah, then you don't want Natsu to go bye-bye?" Mother asks with a soft smile.

"Nah!" Takeshi answers with a huge grin," 'Cuz Natsu is my baby brother!"

I huff at their antics and try to look around the restaurant. I actually have a nice overview of the place due to my position (Father had laid me down on the counter with a cushion below me).

The place is nicely decorated and it's closed off for the day, so no unwanted visitors would interrupt the reunion.

Father was in the kitchen making sushi, what else? So, I could not see him.

Glancing down at my brother I noted that his hair had been cut. Was it too weird that I knew just what exact length it had before?

He was wearing a light brown tee and a pair of khaki shorts with sandals. Down in the corner of the restaurant there was the tell-tale sight of red and green that he had brought his plastic baseball bats down from his bedroom.

Mother looked different today. Her hair was tied instead of loose, she was wearing a soft dress that was a mix of lilac and pink, and she was wearing slippers.

Now, I know that you are supposed to take off your shoes at the entrance but since neither Takeshi or father was doing that I thought maybe the restaurant was an exception.

Or maybe mother just didn't want to wear shoes today, it was not my business to stick my nose into.

Well, it was kind my business... Ever since that breakdown in my bedroom, a week ago (such a painful headache), I had started to notice the moods and expressions people had with a redoubled effort.

I was pleased to find that I could work as a human lying detector machine.  _I was distraught to find that most people were downright liars._

Well, babies can't be choosers. (And don't I know that by heart...)

But I am getting a bit off topic here.

So here I am just laying on top of the counter, dressed up like a sushi roll (never gonna live this one down, I swear), listening to my brother's childish comments about how great of a little brother I am and how I was just so cool.

I didn't understand that, really, because I basically did nothing all day.

When there's a knock on the front door.

_Guess they're here?_

My mother's eyes go wide as she just stares at the door. Takeshi is looking between the door and my mother, unsure whether or not to open it. And father pops his head out of the kitchen, sighs at my mother, and goes to open the door.

"Calm down.  _What's the worst that could happen?_ "

Huh... By experience... You should really  **never**  say that.


	4. Part I - Chapter 3

"Calm down. What's the worst that could happen?"

_Huh... By experience... You should really **never**  say that._

The door opened and the daylight outside shined through the paper wall thingy that stood in front of the door, separating the entrance from the restaurant.

I could hear my father's voice as he greeted someone. I could only see the silhouettes of their forms so I was probably frowning (I do not pout!) as I tried to see them.

Takeshi had ran up to our father so I could hear his little laughter. Part of me, that was childish, regretted that he had left me behind and was having fun without me. Not that I could play with him even if I wanted. I couldn't even sit up yet.

Mother had walked up to me and picked me up but she did not go closer to the door. Instead she started to fuss with the blanket I always had wrapped around me and thinking of ways to make the top of my hair lie flat.

_You can try, mother. But even I don't know how I do it..._

Her heartbeat was so fast it was like being right next to one of those old trains. Even as I thought that a small nostalgia hit me, while a faint sounding noise echoed inside my head.

Those were frequent, especially at night when I couldn't sleep.

But right now that was not important. I wanted to meet my grandparents!

I hear father's voice call for my mother.

A last shiver ran up her spine as she started trying to walk over to the door. Her hold on my tightens. Time seems to slow down as we got closer and closer to the door. Mother took one intake of breath before she took the final step.

Light is the first thing that greets me, that and the fact that Takeshi is being held by a tall and white haired man. I blinked.

The man was tall, as tall as my father and maybe a finger or two taller, his back was straight and his hair was neatly brushed. His face was not extremely wrinkled as I had pictured it and there was a smile on his face as he looked at my mother.

Which disappeared lightning fast as he then looked at me.

Really? Was I that similar to whoever ' _Niki_ ' was?

Because I'm starting to get scared by his reaction...

His face pales and his eyes widen. Takeshi is loosely held in his arms, as if the tall and strong and healthy man suddenly lost all of his strength. An old woman comes from beside my father and runs to the old man in order to take Takeshi before the young boy fell.

The old woman looked just like my mother. Except her hair was turning gray and that it was tied in a tight bun on top of her hair.

Her eyes were greyish-blue like my mother's and a faint look of pain flickered in her eyes as she gazed at me.

Mother's grip on my turned even tighter and shivers ran up her arms.

I just couldn't take it. I hate loud noises but I swear that I just don't know what is up with me sometimes. Two things happened between one second to the next.

There was this wave of heavy and suffocating feelings of pain, grief and sadness that out of nowhere hit me with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

And I blanked out.

_Mom... Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?_

_A-... Why are you wearing that?_

_What do you mean? This dress? Grandma gave it to me, why?_

_Oh, nothing... I just remembered something that's all. Did you say thank you to your grandma?_

_Of course! Strange on how you looked the same when I put it on... She said something, but it was weird so I didn't really get it..._

_What was it, A-...?_

_Oh, it was..._

_...It was that it belonged to her eldest daughter._

I took in a lungful of air before I started to shriek in pain.

My head! It felt as if it was being split open. The air felt cold and unforgiving as I desperately tried to breathe.

It was heavy. There was just so much sadness that I couldn't stand the ambient energy around me.

My cries were pleas of mercy as I just begged in my own small way of communication to take me away from this.

Mother immediately tried to stop my cries but once again she was unsuccessful. Father picked me up from her arms and slowly rocked me but the pain just wouldn't go away.

Grandmother held Takeshi who had tears in his eyes. Unshed but still there. He was frightened, just as he had been the night mother started to cry.

Grandfather had still not moved. His knees and arms had regained their strength but he was still just staring at me.

His eyes were clouded. I had presumed wrong...

He was not staring at me. He was facing the shadows of a past I did not know of. I could not know of.

I had no idea that at that moment something I had inside of me, a sliver so small it was undetectable, awoke for a moment.  **Awoke and allowed me to feel the pain of another.**

But I did not know this and as such, the foreign pain that assaulted me was enough to bring me to misery. I felt like I was being torn to shreds from the inside out. Pain was all I knew. And every time I tried to think of something nice, another feeling was thrown at me like a baseball.

Sorrow...

So much sorrow...

_...But that is strange isn't it Mom?_

_Grandma said her eldest daughter but she only has you and uncle!_

I looked like who?

Who was ' _Niki_ '? Why are you all reacting like this?

What did I do?!

I was suddenly forced out of my father's grip and tossed into the air.

My cries stopped as soon as I felt the air around me shift. My crying eyes faced the clear blue sky above my face as I was thrown into it.

_It looked so peaceful._

I was caught by the same strong pair of hands. The same pair that moments ago had held Takeshi.

His eyes held strength unseen by many. A smile bloomed from his face and laughter followed it shortly after.

I guess I forgot to cry in my momentarily confusion.

Just what was happening? What... What is going on with me?

I hiccuped but before I could start crying again, I was already being thrown up in the air again.

_Pain had completely abandoned me._

The sky was so  **inviting**.  **Comforting**. The white clouds that drifted by seemed to gaze back at me. Judging my every move.

Yet they didn't seem disappointed... They seemed to  _understand_.  **To know**.

I was caught again by the same pair of hands and my eyes looked at the man that had been uncomprehendingly saddened by my appearance. His eyes were completely clear this time. A silver gray color like steel. A glint of hope in them too.

_Such a confusing family I had._

"How could you even do that! He's not even a year old yet!? You could have hurt him!" Mother's horrified voice told the man.

"I wouldn't have dropped him,  _Mariko_. What? You don't trust your old man anymore?"

Grandfather told her in a careless tone of voice.

"It's not the problem whether I trust you or not! Natsushi is too young for those kind of actions! He could have been hurt!" She told him.

Indeed I could have. But I wasn't hurt (except my head, which had a splitting headache, jeez...), and I totally preferred being tossed in the air than to suffer that pain again.

Which reminded me... What had been those voi-

I blinked.

What was I going to say again?

I remember starting to cry from pain. What pain? I felt fine...

No, I'm sure that something was hurting me.

Then what was? I started to cry after Grandfather looked at me with those saddened expression.

I blinked again. Mentally cursing my baby brain.

_I had forgotten something very important._  A key, if I had to guess, about what was going on. And I just had to forget it!

Admittedly, I should have pondered that forgetting something mid-sentence was not normal. But at that time, I hadn't even thought about it.

Not for a while would I look back on everything that had happened 'till that point in particular. And even when I did... I often chose to not visit such memories.

Mother's face appeared above me as she quickly took me back into her arms. She wasn't shaking anymore and there was that fierce gleam in her eyes that made me want to scoot further into my blanket.

She looked really angry right now, and I was not certain if I wanted to be around that murderous aura.

I actually pitied the fool that that anger was directed at. Oh wait...

My eyes flickered to the old man. His smile strained a bit and there was a bit of sweat on his forehead.

_So... Bye-Bye Grandpa?_

I flickered my eyes to my father and my grandmother who held Takeshi. He had this goofy smile on his face and was whispering something to Takeshi that made the young boy smother his laughter. Grandmother gave father a look very close to my mother's glare. Except hers held a lot more anger than exasperation.

"So his name is Natsushi?" My grandfather asked.

The fragile balance seemed to shake at that question.

"Yes," was my mother's answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

"He looks a lot like  _him_... Is that why you named him Natsushi?" Grandfather asked.

"I had decided the name before he was even born. I didn't even know of his resemblance until I saw him again when I wasn't completely tired..."

"Maybe it's a sign..."

"Don't even! Natsushi is just Natsushi! He is not Natsume!" Mother yelled.

Both of the elderly couple seemed to flinch at that name. Father also seemed faintly startled.

Takeshi frowned in confusion at their reactions.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Can I hold him again or are you going to send me away?" Grandfather asked with a sad smile.

Mother sighed and handed me back, stroked my cheek and went back to my father's side. Grandfather held me closer to his face, in a way that made me very self conscious, and slowly whispered to me.

"Those sea-green eyes of yours... may they hold the same resolve his did... the eyes of a  **Temporale**."

Something inside me shifted and turn in it's deep sleep. Almost like a crack had appeared in the seal that kept it from storming out into the world unprepared. No, not a seal. It was really more like a gentle hand that only wanted it's safety.

_And while that gentle hand was still there, then it would continue sleeping._

The rest of the day passed in a blur, in all honesty.

I fell asleep halfway through a story grandma was telling, then I woke up in my crib around the middle of the night.

Sleep did not claim me and I just laid there think over and over what had happened that day.

I resembled someone named ' _Natsume_ '.

So who was ' _Niki_ '? Was he the same person?

Grandfather said something about... Eyes of a Temporale, whatever that was...

And  _resolve_? What was going on!

Couldn't anything be simple and clear for once? I felt tired but I couldn't sleep.

Even so I closed my eyes.

The darkness engulfed me (how I hate the dark), and the voices that seemed so distant yet close came to speak a last time that night.

_No, A-... Grandma is right. It did belong to her eldest daughter._

_Then where is she?_

_She passed away a long time ago, long before either you or your brother were born._

_Then why did Grandma give her dress to me?_

_Because you look so much like her... Maybe she thought that for a moment the emptiness would leave..._

_Why would she feel emptiness?_

**Because she was her daughter and she is gone.**


	5. Part I - Chapter 4

Days passed in a blur.

My sleep got heavier and longer, and I grew a bit as well.

Grandfather and Grandmother left after two days in the restaurant, Mother got well enough to start working again, and Takeshi...

Hum... He got a new baseball bat?

Yeah, I think he did.

I met Chiyo again recently! She is still a bit bald so her mother put a headband on her. Ooh, and she was wearing this tiny ruffled dress that made her look like a strawberry.

Funny on how a two month old(?) baby can be so expressive. She was beyond pissed.

And you know what's scarier? When she's pissed, she's mad at everyone (namely me, I dunno why though...), and those weird shadow things start to move about.

The first two times that it happened I was scared stiff, but now...

Is it odd to say that I grew used to it?

It's still scary to me and I jump every time it happens but there's just something (What is it?!) that keeps it from becoming frightening in my mind.

You know, that thing in your head that warns you if something is dangerous or not? Yeah, that. To me it just doesn't send me dangerous vibes whenever Chiyo makes it happen.

Oh, and how do I know it's Chiyo?

Because they only appear when the two of us are alone on the mat or whatever, and only when she's frustrated, mad, sad, clingy, etc...

Perhaps they just appear all the time and I'm just unfortunate to get the bluntness of it?

Sigh... Thinking is hard work. I don't think I like hard work too much. Could I maybe be lazy in the future?

Nah, with my luck, something's bound to go wrong and I would feel a lot better if I was prepared. Now, a better question.

_How exactly can I prepare myself?_

* * *

I blinked.

Remember when I told you time was starting to blur together? I think it is getting worse.

Part of me knows that's because my brain isn't capable of memorizing every single thing, yet just keeping part of my knowledge, the part that I am fighting tooth and nail to keep, is starting to take a toll on me.

The other part of me simply states that, since it's boring, there is no need for me to remember these things.

I am now a three month old baby.

I am starting to roll over (that makes me sound like a dog...), I can lift my head for a while, I sleep through the whole night, and I can sit with support.

Objects are now being constantly put in front of me in hopes I will try to grasp it. That, and now I am constantly being talked to.

Three things started to worry my parents at this point:

1\. I do not babble. I am silent and I like it. (So unlike a fair haired girl I know far more familiarly than I would have wanted.)

2\. I show no signs of wanting to interact with other people.

3\. I constantly avoid other people gazes and I apparently don't show a true attachment to people.

So that's why I am presently in this doctor's office.

I understand the basic idea of what they are talking about but seriously, there's nothing wrong with me.

Would you like to have things shoved in your face every two minutes? Or having to listen to someone telling you step by step on how to pick up a spoon?

Yeah, I'm sorry but my patience for many things is being stretched a bit too far.

There's something wrong with how I think and it scares me not to know why. And worse, no one seems to notice it.

Chiyo might've, so she's really the only person that I trust enough show how exhausted I am around.

So really, the only reason that I am monotonously being poked and 'inspected' quietly by the doctor without so much as an 'eep' from me, is because I know it was my actions and reactions to things that caused this.

Reason I don't change?

One, you just can't change behavior from one day to the next without startling someone.

Two, I'm just too tired to bother.

In the end, the doctors were unable to find anything wrong and promised my parents that I was just a quiet child.

Mother stayed in my room again that night, murmuring a lullaby over and over again until I fell asleep.

_Mom, can you sing me my lullaby? The one you made for me when I was still in your belly?_

_Of course, I can. But why don't you sing with me too, A-...?_

_Okay!_

I can hear both of those lullabies, but they are just so different.

One is a sorrowful song, and the other rocks the cradle I am falling asleep in. Which one do I like best?

**Which one belongs to me?**

* * *

Mother has officially put Takeshi in charge of my communication improvement. He's at that age where he's almost going to Kindergarten but instead Mother decided to let him stay in the restaurant with me.

So when the restaurant opens, Takeshi and I are put in a back room that opens to the small backyard behind it. Though, it's October and it's cold so all the doors and windows that lead to the outdoors are closed.

The room is fairly simple, a playroom of sorts where Takeshi and I are confined. It's usually very quiet, with my disinterest in talking or doing much, that is, until Mother had the brilliant idea of babysitting Chiyo.

You see, her parents both work in offices so they can't be with her all the time. So Mother decided that Chiyo could enter our humble playroom and stay with us.

Now Chiyo likes me, if I can stretch her lack of bloodlust on me as such, and we kind of have a small 'I stand being around you' friendship. Chiyo and my brother?

There is no way I will ever understand  **how**  he can't feel the aura of impending doom whenever Chiyo sees him. Not that I would have reacted any differently after the first week of being in that room with him.

"Ahaha, Chi-chan I'm Natsu's big brother!"

Mistake n.º 1 when meeting Chiyo. Never address her with '- _chan_ '.

"Ah! Chi-chan you look so cute in that girly outfit!"

Mistakes n.º 2 and 3, never call her ' _cute_ ' and never say that what she is wearing is ' _girly_ '.

I felt exasperated every single time Takeshi crossed Chiyo or told her something that made her lose her cool. Not that she ever did, truly at least, because no matter how brutal and frightening the shadows became, they never once attacked Takeshi or I.

It was at that moment that my admiration for Chiyo grew. She was only a month (or a few days) older than me but she held such control over the shadows that it made me feel slightly humbled.

And how exactly I know it's Chiyo that's making these shadows?

Well, first off they're always there, and they shift according with her mood. And she herself has showed me that there is something ' _off_ ' with her.  _Like me in a way._  But more... unrefined?

It's hard to describe.

Oh, and I made progress in developing interests. And what fun was that.

So, Father unpacked some really old boxes that had belonged from when he was young, and he retrieved this glass chime thingy. He took it out while Takeshi and I were eating so I only saw it when he came into the kitchen holding it in a way that it made noise.

I fell in love with it instantly. I don't know why, exactly, but the sound just made my eyes widen and I stretched my arms out for it immediately. Mother was surprised while Father was excited.

Ugh, the first thing I actually showed interest in was something that made this calm sounding noise each time it moved. I guess it could have been worse...

Now, now. I am not a total idiot so I, myself, could see that I loved noises. Calm and peaceful noises, so not like Chiyo, that made everything shimmer.

Is it strange to describe it like that? Noise makes things shimmer?

Oh, well. That's what it looks like to me.

In the end Father attached it to a support where it's inside of the playroom and I can easily reach it to make it chime, and also it can be removed or adjusted in case I grow overly attached to it in the years to come and I need to have it raised higher.

Or that in the case where I will hate it after two hours of constantly making it chime.

Either case, I am happy.

Chiyo? Not so much. I wonder if she hates the chime because I pay more attention to it than to her?

Can she actually be jealous of a glass chime? Nah, that's impossible.

* * *

I'm five months old now, I have grown chubbier and I have started to regret my decisions in life.

I mean, after the glass chime event, I started to improve everything about me. I pay more attention to things said to me, I played a bit more with my parents and Takeshi.

I even had a nap with Chiyo practically strangling my torso without complaints.

So why was I back here!?

The doctors office seemed as dull and white as I remembered it. Mother and Father are talking with the doctor and there's a nurse here trying to make me grab the small teddy bear in her hands.

_Look, lady, I did not reach for it the first twenty times, so I am certainly not gonna reach for it at the twenty-first time. So leave me alone!_

I sighed. Takeshi wasn't with us today. Mother left with with the elderly neighbor down the street so both of them could come with me to the appointment. And Takeshi was all frowning and asking if they were taking me to the hospital because I was ' _broken_ '. Or whether Mother and Father were having me ' _fixed_ ' or ' _replaced_ '.

I almost snorted at that.

But anyway. This doctor was new. If the foreign looks he had and the slight accent in his japanese were anything to go by.

He was young, well... mid twenties to early thirties but he looked young. Platinum blond hair neatly brushed and the doctor's trademark white coat was ironed and clean.

His eyes were brown but there was something warm about him. Like being under a kotatsu.

His face had sharp features, similar to those of a fairy tales knight. And he walked with a slight happy tilt in his steps. I could tell he was usually a very cheerful person.

And he smiled a bit too.

The nurse however was contrasting. Dark hair and eyes, a smile too forced to be completely real and a shadow in her eyes that made me feel like and experiment. An insect being observed very closely and scrutinized for every single flaw and action I had or did.

To sum it up, I was not very happy about being in this doctors office.

Worse was that this one was a specialized doctor. Something about communication or something else that I can't exactly recall. Weird...

But I do know the Doctor's foreign name!

Einar Falk.

He introduced himself as such and I was almost giggling at the pinched smile my mother made at the name. She hated foreign things. Never called spaghetti by it's actual name, and refused to allow Takeshi to eat anything but japanese food.

Me on the other hand was still on formula as I have no teeth... And I really wanted to eat those cookies the other day too.

"To be completely honest, Mr. and Mrs. Yamamoto, I really don't know what I can do for your son. There are a few possible diagnostics but he's still too young to be conclusive." The doctor was telling my parents.

"And what diagnostics could those be, Doctor-san?" My Father asked.

"Well, Natsushi could be autistic. Asperger's syndrome, for example. But like I said, it's still too early to tell." The doctor replied.

"Is it curable? If it's Asperger's, I mean?" My Mother asked next.

"No, there is no cure. But there are several treatments that can ease the task of managing this condition. But do not fret, Mrs. Yamamoto, he's still too young. He might still catch up to the others." The doctor answers.

_Asperger's? I'm perfectly healthy!_

_I'm just quiet, why can't people see that?_

"But doctor please tell us more. We want to know if there are more ways of bringing Natsu out of his shell." My Mother pleaded.

The doctor sighed but consented in the end. He tells something to the nurse and I am picked up. Guess it's a private conversation and babies are not allowed, huh?

The nurse walks for a short while before stopping and laying me down on this playing mat. There's an activity ring above me with stuffed toys and plastic rattles. But I'm not interested.

_Could they actually diagnose me with something I don't have?_

I don't know how long I laid there on my back kicking my legs up and stretching my arms, while I was lost in thought, but I was brought out of my reverie when I hear laughter.

Not grown-ups laughter, but child's laughter. Perhaps as old as Takeshi.

I lift my head up to see if I can catch of glimpse of who is there but as there is no support I can't sit up without help.

Instead I roll over onto my belly and now I have a clear view from the floor as to what is going on.

I can hear footsteps in the hospital corridor. Light and there's that happy tilt similar to the doctor's. But this one is skipping.

The laughter becomes louder as it gets closer to my position, I can also hear another more older voice together with it.

The nurse that is with me must've heard them too because she stiffens immediately. Huh, how curious... and odd.

The steps get closer and then there's this happy sounding voice that calls out something I couldn't understand. It isn't japanese, and it isn't english either, so the foreign language throws me out of the loop.

The small scrunchy noise the foam puzzle play carpet does when it's stepped on startles me. How did someone get behind me?

I turn my face around and meet a pair of eyes.

More specifically, a pair of blazing yellow eyes. Which as quickly as I saw them, they turn into a bubbly blue color.

_I instantly feel like all the breath was knocked out of me._

_Those eyes! They changed color just like Chiyo!_

I must've had a pretty funny expression on my face because the girl giggles.

Her platinum blond hair was neatly tied in two braids, big blue eyes stared at me, and there was a small beauty mark on the right corner of her mouth. She has thin eyebrows and equally short eyelashes.

She was as tall as my brother but the way she held herself was more wobbly.

She was wearing a simple pinafore dress with a white blouse underneath. A dark cardigan on top and there were white knee socks and loafers.

There was a handmade card in her hands but even so she put it aside when she came closer to me.

"Dina ögon!" The girl exclaims. (Your eyes!)

_What did you say?_

She held out one of her hands to me.

I rarely interact with strangers, and this girl totally classified as one, but I took hold of her hand without hesitation.

Her eyes blazed once more with that burning yellow color. But this time they did not vanish from one moment to the next.

They stayed and my eyes marveled at the scene in front of me.

The girl own eyes widen in surprise but she her grip didn't disappear.

_She never once let go of my small and babyish hand, carefully and pleadingly holding hers._

The warmth returned, but this time it was not like a kotatsu. It was more like I was an eagle free to fly under the blazing and hot summer's sun.

A feeling so strange I couldn't entirely comprehend took over me. It was not completeness nor was it wholeness but it was like I had found part of me.

_**Or part of me had returned...** _

It was such a strange feeling but I immersed myself in it. Losing the tight grip on my controlled childish emotions and actions I let go of the bubbling laughter that had grown inside of me.

I laughed until my side hurt and I was without breath. And the girl laughed too.

"Elias? Är du okej?" A light brown haired woman asks. She has big blue eyes such as the girl holding my hand. Elias? Is that her name? (Elias? Are you okay?)

"Mamma! Mamma, titta på hans ögon!" The girl says between her laughter. (Mama, look at his eyes!)

I hear more footsteps coming closer to me. Another face peers over the girl's shoulders.

Big blue eyes widen at me before turning into adoration and marvel also.

"åh! Vilka vackra ögon. Eller hur, Elias?" The woman asks her daughter. (Oh, what beautiful eyes. Right, Elias?)

"Ja, mamma!" Elias answers. (Yes, mama!)

I don't understand what they are saying, but there's a lull to their words that makes me feel at ease.

And I kept staring into those blazing eyes until my Mother and Father came over.

The nurse from before had left and had gone to call my parents and the doctor, to surprise them about their 'quiet' child.

I did not let go of the girl's hand until we had to leave.

And when I was being taken away, back home, I looked back at her smiling face.

What if Chiyo was the same? What if her eyes changed color too if I held her hand?

_**What if there are others?** _


	6. Part I - Chapter 5

The next few days after meeting Elias were not that different from the previous ones.

Of course, with one major difference.

_Laughter._

I felt happy. Like, the overjoyed kind of happy. It was as if there had been a huge cloud over me and then the wind pushed it out of the way and now it was sunny.

It felt like nothing was wrong and like I was alright. I was not different.

Takeshi definitely loved my new behavior, as he was finally getting to play with me, although it was still very limited.

Mother and Father thought that it was odd at first, but even they couldn't argue with the results. Though, I guess I'm not out of the woods yet.

There are times when I can't even force myself to laugh, and I want to be on my own. But those don't last more than a day before I bounce back.

Doctor Einar has become the first doctor that actually made a breakthrough with me. So now he took over the case of my lack of communication (I laugh, I still refuse to talk), and I will be seeing him monthly.

Elias came over once more after school to see me. Takeshi was not very pleased with her familiarity with me, guess he got jealous of me practically bouncing on my butt for her to reach for my hand again.

I can never get tired of that feeling...

Oh, and Chiyo's eyes do change color if I hold her hand.

The midnight blue color that I had seen (and never forgotten) on my first day in the hospital was just like I remembered. The shadows stilled for a moment before expanding. Instead of dark twisted arms and members, the shadows formed a blanket around the two of us.

I smile just thinking about it. I was not cold and neither was she, so the blanket had come in the form of comfort or protection.

She's just too cute at times. Even if I am not brave or suicidal enough to tell her that to her face.

And the feeling became stronger after holding Chiyo's hand. But this time it was not like the sun either. Laugh all you want but I swear it felt like ' _time_ '. Similar as to how you take a picture and years later you take another picture of the same spot.

It's the same place but there are differences.

It felt like that.

A solitary prairie where the  _misty_  time rolls over and over. Recollection? Deja vu?

I don't really know anymore.

It's cold here in December. Christmas must be around the corner, as there has been an increase of customers.

Oh! And the other day there was this couple that came in with their son, who was one or two years older than Takeshi, and they were just so cute. Black hair and these really piercing gray colored eyes.

The boy's mother picked me up (I'm still not comfortable with this arrangement) and smiled at me. The woman was really pretty.

And then she held me closer to the boy so he could see me. Let me tell you two things:

First off, he looked  _eerily familiar_  to me, although I am positive he had never been here in the restaurant.

And secondly, he called me the weirdest thing that made me question whether or not I looked like a lamb to him.

I am not a grass eating animal, so it really confused me.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I have so much hair that Mother has started to style it now. And no, it's not cute, it actually tends to make me panic more often than not every time I see a hairbrush in her hands.

Also, I finally noticed my reflection.

Yes, you read that right. I am nearly six months old and I never bothered to look at my reflection. I guess it slipped my mind.

But back to the main point.

I look  _exactly_  like my Mother. Like I have her eyes (and now I know why people stare at them, I guess being japanese and having naturally blue-green eyes is not common), her nose and facial features. I have the same beauty mark as hers, but mine is below my right eye. And I have this dark hair that looks black but it's actually a shade or two lighter than my brother's or my father's.

And then I have this birthmark on my stomach that gave me the creeps when I first saw it.

You know when you take a bath in hot water your skin turns red like a shrimp? Yeah, that happened and right in the middle of my stomach there's this patch of skin that just doesn't change. Like a spot.

Mother laughed when she noticed it, I just glared.

Actually, I think I'm becoming more emotional... Like at first it was really easy to behave the quiet and solitary child I am but now, I find myself more and more drawn to either Chiyo, Takeshi or my Mother.

Father works a lot and since we are always in the playroom I guess I don't see him that often in the day.

What else is there to tell?

Not much happened this time. Life keeps getting busier and Chiyo looks like she wants to break a record on how young a baby started to crawl.

That or she's itchy and the floor looks like the perfect scratching post.

Now I imagined her with cat ears. Odd thought...

Sigh. I feel bored.

Chiyo doesn't let me hold her hand every day anymore because of the camera that is constantly pointed at us in case I commit another slip up.

Oh, what slip up?

I sat upright without help and tried to grab the remote.

Again, you can laugh but Takeshi left it on in a channel I didn't found myself drawn to and I just went to change it. How was I supposed to know Mother had been about to enter the room?

And what does it have to do with Chiyo not letting me near her?

She's jealous.

I figured as much when she frowned at me sitting up to reach my wind chime without help, and then turned her back on me to try and do the same. She fell belly down and started crying.

And yes, she still pulls the crying cards whenever she wants something. Doesn't work on me, though. She has better luck pulling the puppy-eye stare than the crying.

Don't let her find that out! I still like independence and I don't plan on living a life of servitude to her!

But back to the feeling. Chiyo can feel the same strange sensation as me— though I suspect it's different from mine— and she starts to laugh also.

I don't know what would happen if Elias held her hand though... The two haven't met yet.

And when they do, here's hopping for the best, huh?

* * *

Yeah, about Elias meeting Chiyo... Bad idea... Very bad idea.

You see, it was her birthday in January so she invited me, and since I went Chiyo came too. Her parents brought her over to our house before going to work and then Mother took the two of us to Doctor Einar's house.

They live downtown closer to all the more advanced and rich shops and markets, but they live in an apartment.

Elias mother greeted us at the door and then we were taken to this play pen that served as an area for the younger members of the family (or friends in my case) that were yet too young to be running or crawling around.

Elias was out with her grandmother, who lives with them, so me and Chiyo were just calmly passing blocks to one another when this shriek of surprise sounded.

My mood dropped because I knew exactly who shrieked and why it happened.

My Mother dressed me up in the sushi outfit again. Chiyo was dressed with a pink butterfly blouse and with matching pumpkin shorts, was wearing white shoes and had a large butterfly headband on her head.

While it's enough embarrassing of me to say but the two of us together were just too cute.

And I failed to mention one thing about Elias.

_She loves cute things..._

"Mormor, ser de är så söta!"

Was the first thing that came out of her mouth before she ran up to the playpen and said, very loudly, that we were cute. In her heavily accented and faulted japanese.

We couldn't exactly understand everything she told us but the word ' _Kawaii_ ' was equal to a death sentence by Chiyo.

I could see the anger veins start to appear on her and I tried to subtly move as far away as I could before Chiyo combusted. Though, she seemed to notice this because she turned to me and smiled.

Let not be said that babies can't be creepy. My whole body just turned to ice and I froze in place, the blood drained from my face and I just sat there in fear that I would have to face Chiyo with all that bloodlust pooling around her.

How is Elias still talking? Can't she sense this aura also?

I focused on the blond four year old that was crouched beside the play pen lightly pinching Chiyo's cheeks. Something was  _off_...

I focused harder and I could finally see this brilliant glowing veil around Elias, protecting it against the dark shadows of Chiyo. Oh, so that's the reason she wasn't scared.

Maybe that's why Takeshi also couldn't feel it? But Takeshi didn't have this brilliant aura. I would know.

Huffing, I decided to let the matter drop. It was not really that important because if she did find out Elias would probably scream or shout how it was impossible. The only reason he hadn't was because he too was abnormal.

Tilting my head, I wondered if _weirdness attracted more weirdness._

Looking around, I could see that there were not that many kids in this party. There were two who had come over from their home country just for the party (they're cousins? or some odd relationship), then the grandmother, the mother, my mother and her father.

It was to my understanding that Elias was going to kindergarten, had she not made any friends there?

Though, the lack of children didn't seem to bother her. In fact, she rarely left the side of the playpen and would talk mostly to us. The other two kids were off to another corner of the room and the grown-ups were talking.

Suddenly she grabbed my hand again.

I twitched in my surprise as the feeling poured over me. The necessity to laugh bubbled inside me but I kept it in, just long enough for me to try and grab onto Chiyo. She had to feel this!

I guess Elias thought as such and while I grabbed one hand she grabbed the other.

 _What an odd little circle of friends we make_ , was my last thought before I felt being submerged in something.

Describing the feeling was still as difficult as the first time. Chiyo must've thought the same due to her facial expression. She babbled something incomprehensive before bursting out laughing.

I followed suit. If anything the feeling was making me ticklish.

Elias laughed with us, and in my happy stupor I could faintly make out the snap sound of the camera. Everything was alright.

That is until Chiyo ' _nudges_ ' me, ' _gently_ ', with her feet. My laughter turned into a yelped and before I realized my mistake, I had sat up and whacked her over the head.

She stopped moving, I stopped moving and Elias became silent.

I, the abnormally calm and quiet six month old, had just hit my equally abnormal, not so quiet, cohort over the head. My cohort who could literally manipulate shadows into phantasmagoric creatures just to freak me out when Takeshi was out of the room.

In that one second of action before thinking, I had literally signed a death-wish, fool-proofed and with a guarantee to make my life miserable from that point on.

**I had hit Chiyo.**

My eyes widened and my mouth gaped all while before my eyes she turned and sent me this blood curdling and terrifying glare.

How bad was my luck? I hadn't even started crawling, yet I already had a need to run for the hills.

There was no way this could possibly turn even worse.  _Right_?


	7. Part I - Chapter 6

I gulped.

Chiyo was deathly quiet and her eyes were shadowed. But the glint in them was there. That evil glow that told me quite clearly that I was screwed. My life was over. I was not going to live to see my first birthday, how sad was that...

Elias was quiet too.

A small bead of sweat on her forehead indicated me that she had finally noticed that something about Chiyo was dangerous. Yes, dangerous. The alarm in my head finally decided to work and was now screaming in terror that I needed to get out fast.

Huh... Sorry to disappoint you, but I can't crawl yet. I am inside a playpen with net walls as high as I was tall and...

Wait that's just it. The walls are net!

Just was Chiyo was about to reach for a handful of my hair (now I'm not so happy to have it long), I reached for the wall. My little chubby fingers interlocked with the small holes of the net. And I pulled.

In my defense, the playpen should have held longer.

Because it fell apart with just a ' _gentle_ ', and certainly not desperate, tug from me. And it fell on top of both of us.

I fell backwards and Chiyo, always the first to create a fuss, started crying. Bawling even. My Mother picked her up, and I just sat like nothing had happened after the net was removed.

Elias sat by me and while the adults were all distracted she leaned closer and whispered to me.

"The shadows were hers?"

Yes. Yes they were, Elias, and thank you also for noticing them and not starting to scream.

Is what I would have liked to have answered. But the maximum response she got from me was a little and barely noticeable nod from me.

"Has she always done them?"

Another nod. As far as I knew, yes Chiyo had always been able to manipulate the shadows.

"Are you like her?"

A small shrug was my best answer. How was I supposed to know?

"Can you keep a secret?"

I turned to face her.

_Hey, A-..., can you keep a secret?_

_If it is a secret then you shouldn't tell it in the first place..._

_Ah, but what is the fun in that? Besides, it's a symbol of trust to tell a secret!_

_Really?_

_Yes, really! Then, can you keep a secret or not?_

_I can._

_You vow to never tell anyone?_

_I vow to never tell anyone._

_On your life?_

_On my life. Please get it over with already, Hugh!_

_Ahaha, alright! I..._

I blinked. The voices fading from my mind.

Could I keep a secret?

The answer was clear to me.

Without anyone noticing, I placed a chubby hand on my chest (I probably mistook my left for my right, but who cares?) and gave Elias a nod.

She smiled and leaned even closer.

The words she spoke didn't match her usual bright personality.

"I'm not normal either... Whenever I am hurt, I heal really fast!"

I blinked and looked up into Elias' eyes.

The blazing yellow was hidden deep within her blue eyes. I could see the power underneath.

Yes, she was not entirely normal. But her words were almost like an answer to something I really should know. But yet her words hadn't clicked into place and I was confused.

The yellow blazed again. They looked like a sun.

I blinked my eyes again.

 **Sun**.

_Why is that familiar?_

Why...?

"Natsu, are you alright? What's wrong, baby?" My Mother's voice startles me.

I look at her, then at Elias. She too is worried.

Guess I must've paled there for a minute. I tried a feeble nod then at the two of them, but it had the exact opposite effect.

So, in the end, Mother took us back home. Chiyo went to the playroom (so I was safe for a while more), and I was sent to bed.

My chest hurt for some reason. And my head was beginning to kill me. Was I sick?

_Was I getting sick for the first time?_

My eyes are heavy. I should really sleep. But Mother is not here to sing me her lullaby.

_Hugh, why did you do it?_

_What do you mean, A-...?_

_Why did you take it? It must've really mean a lot to the old man!_

_So? It was his fault in the end for kicking me out of the game center..._

_That's no excuse! Look at the pendant, it has a photograph inside! It could belong to someone that was close to him!_

_Why should I care! And what are you going to do about it, A-...?_

_I'll take it back!_

_You're going to rat me out?!_

_No! Never! It's your secret and I'll keep it! I'll take blame for taking it, but I have to give it back, Hugh!_

_Why do you care so much for the old bastard anyway? What has he done for you?_

**Nothing**... He had never done anything for me. I remember that.

But...

That necklace with the photograph inside. I recognized it. Though I didn't tell Hugh that.

That necklace.  _It had belonged to his wife._  She had left to go far away and she had never returned.

And the old man kept that necklace close to him, as a way to always remember her. It was awful to take it away from him.

So the next day I gave it back.

He did not believe it had been me who took it in the first place. He demanded I told the truth.

I refused. I would not tell him it was Hugh.

_' **Such loyalty is wasted on trash like that...**  Fine, don't tell me.'_

I saw him huff at my actions, but before I could leave he put a hand on his pocket and gave me something.

A golden button.

I had looked up to him to see him grin back at me.

_'It belonged to one of my good friends. We used to get into trouble back in the day. And even if he was always the one blamed for it, he never told who really did it.'_

I replied that if it belong to his friend then he shouldn't give it away.

His answer surprised me.

_'I'm not giving it away. There's no reward for those who are loyal to fools. This here is the excuse you'll use when you tell your parents I want your help around the shop! Don't think you can just up and give me the pendant back without punishment for taking it in the first place.'_

He grinned again.

He knew I did not take it, yet he still made me take the blame. Because I had refused to let Hugh take it, therefor I was just like his friend. And as such I would wordlessly accept it.

_'You're a weird man.'_

The words left my mouth. I turned around and went back home. If he saw the small smile on my face, or the way I clutched the button closer to me. He did not say anything.

* * *

I was burning up.

It hurt. My head seemed like it was going to explode. The dreams and voices kept repeating themselves over and over again like a broken record.

They were replaying something important. Something I should remember or know but I didn't and it  _hurt_!

My eyes watered.

I had been in my room in isolation after my fever took a turn for the worse. Only Father or Mother come in to see me, Takeshi was forbidden as he could get sick also. Chiyo was at a local daycare for babies.

Is it sad to say I missed her all too much? Her shadows and everything. Just her presence seemed to calm me down.

But here, in my dark room, without even the light Elias seemed to have brought into my life recently, I was scared.  _I was alone._

I hated the feeling. I hated this helplessness that this young body gave me. I couldn't walk, crawl or even stand. My vocal cords were not developed enough to speak clearly so even if I tried it would be just babbles.

My eyes are getting heavier again.

But I don't want to sleep. I don't want to dream those voices again.

'Then what do you want to hear? To see?'

I opened my bleary eyes to the darkness surrounding me.

_What?_

'What do you wish to dream about then?'

I thought for a minute then. What did I want to dream about?

I remembered the feeling I had when Elias grabbed my hand.

_I want to fly again..._

'To fly?'

_In the summer sky... Like a bird..._

'Why?'

It seemed familiar. The feeling I had. When both Chiyo and Elias had my hands.

The feeling I had with the two of them mixed.

It felt as if the bird was flying over that prairie in the summer's sky.

'So you want to go back there?'

_I never went there in the first place._

'Are you sure?'

_How could I have? I've barely left the restaurant at all since the hospital._

'What if it had been an other you that went?'

_That's impossible..._

'Nothing is impossible, child...'

Those words were familiar.

'To those as strong as you...The impossible simply means something hard to accomplish.'

I did not respond back to the voice.

'Then do you still want to go back to that prairie?'

_Yes._

'Even if you see things you don't want to realize yet?'

_Yes._

The voice gave a small laugh.

'Then, as you wish, child...'

Light surrounded me.

* * *

I felt a cool wind breeze gently across my face. Slowly my eyes peeked open. The blue sky gazed back at me.

I sat up all too quickly and looked amazedly around me. Though, I was disappointed to note that I was still a fairly young baby and as such could not move about.

Nonetheless, I looked around.

I was indeed in a prairie. And it was summer, because the heat was nearly unbearable.

The wind rustles my hair. And the leaves.

Leaves?

I look around again. There's a forest far in the distance, like it doesn't want to be part of the prairie but still finds that it can't leave even if it could.

There were pine trees, fir trees and I think I saw a spruce tree there too but I couldn't be sure.

Further away from the forest, there was this really big castle.

Like those you'd see in books.

A cross stood in front of me. Made of stone, it looked aged, like it had been there for a very long time. How had I not noticed it there before?

A noise sounded above the cross. There, perched atop it, was a crow. It looked at me for a moment before taking off towards the sky.

The eagle was there, still flying freely. I guess the crow went to join it.

After all a crow, so similar to the eagle, must travel around a lot?

I gave one last look over the scenery around me. I just had to see something that I missed. A mountain off in the distance, this must be the base of it, had clouds surrounding the top of it.

The forest I previously looked over now seemed darker, like a ghost could very well find a place there to live in.

A shiver. I don't like ghosts.

But apart from that the whole scene seemed so bright. So pure and happy. Guess this must be one peaceful country...

"Indeed it is."

I turn to look behind me. There's a man here. Or to be specific, a tall and startling young man is behind me. Sitting on the ground as if he had been there the whole time.

And I am certain he had been not.

_Wait, could there really be ghosts in here?_

"Ahaha, you don't need to fear me, boy!"

_You just give me more reasons to fear you when you say that..._

"So you're the one that made this room?"

_Made this what now?_

"It's nice. So much better than that blank room I was stuck in. Or the half drowned one that I accidentally stepped into..."

_What is this guy talking about?_

"Oh, you don't know who I am, do you?"

_No, I do not._

"Natsume's the name!"

_What?_

I looked at him. Like, I looked really closely at him.

He is a man. He is tall. Skin a bit more tanned than my Mother, same nose but with more sharper features. His eye shape is similar to my Grandfather's.

Mouth is close to my Mother's but it's more up turned.

His hair is a tad lighter than mine.

**Our eyes are the same color.**

Oh.

_Ooh!_

Wait... WHAT?!

I jump in fright and tumble backwards.

**He's a frikin' ghost!**

Before I could even open my mouth to scream this girlish shriek that almost came out, I feel a pull before everything disappeared around me again.

* * *

I open my eyes and gasp for breath.  _What the hell happened back there?_  Was that a dream?

Well, obviously it had to be a dream! But... it looked far more real than all the others from before! I look around me in very agitated movements and I realize I'm back in my bedroom.

My head feels cool and light is pushing in through the blinds. So it's morning already?

I am drenched in sweat so even if I am glad it's day, part of me just doesn't bother to find the energy to feel happy.

I let myself fall backwards into the sheets. I feel wet. This day is not starting well. I sigh.

My head turns to its side and I glare into the activity board thingy my parents had placed in the side of my crib. I'd rather have my wind chime in here, not this.

I try to calm my heart. Which still feels like I just ran the marathon.

My bedroom door chooses that moment to  _creak_  open. I flinch. That is not something I want to hear in this state of mind.

I can also hear dragging footsteps. My heart speeds up again. I can't see who just entered.

It isn't Mother, she is always chirpy and talking when she enters. Father is down in the kitchen or still sleeping when she comes in. So  _who_  just entered?

My heart speeds up even more. Great, Natsu. You just terrified yourself even more!

I hear ragged breaths. I start shaking a bit. A whimper escapes my lips.

Whoever entered heard it because the steps grow closer and closer.

My heart can't take this any longer. If this is a joke of Mother or Father this is not funny!

I close my eyes shut.

There's a presence above me. I whimper again.

A movement and then something  _pokes_  me.

I open my eyes.

A big looming dark figure covered in white gazes back. In it's hand there's a syringe.

I am not proud to say that that shriek did escape me.


	8. Part I - Chapter 7

Mariko had a happy and quiet life. She had married with the man of her dreams and she had two beautiful sons that she couldn't be less proud of.

Yes, they were a handful sometimes, but with a three year old and a six month old, who wouldn't have a few incidents? And worries. Her youngest son was too quiet and he might have a condition but was too young to be diagnosed.

And he had developed a terrible fever. Maybe she should have waited until he was a bit older before going to birthday parties. Even if that couldn't answer as to how had Natsu gotten sick without Chiyo also getting sick, as the two had been together the whole time.

She sighed. It was time for her to get up and go check on the kids.

Her husband, Tsuyoshi, was already up and getting dressed for the day. He was the one that opened the restaurant, though he lamented over the fact he couldn't wake up either son due to this.

The day began like any other. The two adults joked and took their time getting ready, but their routine was shattered when they heard a high pitched scream coming from the nursery.

"Natsu!" Mariko shouted immediately.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her husband grab the sword from underneath their bed before running out of their room.

_Old habits never die._

She ran to the nursery, the cries still hadn't stopped, but what she saw was definitely not what she expected to find.

As strange as it could have sounded, Mariko had expected former colleagues of the darker side of society, one or two assassins or even a mad scientist.

Not her older son covered with a white sheet as if it was a cloak, with a doctor's mask and a plastic syringe from a toy set they had bought him for his last birthday.

Natsushi was still in his crib, crying, while Takeshi looked utterly lost on what to do.

From what she could see, what had happened was clear as day.

Takeshi had tried to nurse Natsu back to health by pretending to be a doctor. And he had obviously frighten the poor baby.

"Takeshi, what have I said about entering Natsu's bedroom?"

"But, Mom... Doctors make you feel better!" Was the little boys answer.

"Yes, they do. But doctors are grown-ups. Now what did you exactly do?"

"I poked Natsu with the syringe. It has medicine!" Takeshi answered with a smile.

"Who told you that?" I asked.

"Dad did!"

I turned to glare at my husband, sword loosely held in his hand, while he scratched the back of his head to show he was embarrassed. Oh, he was going to get a very big earful later that day, that was for certain.

"Again, Takeshi, only grown-up doctors should give medicine to babies." I say with a sigh.

"But I wanted to help Natsu!" Takeshi pouted.

"Yes, I know you did. But you frightened him." I told him.

I slowly picked Natsu up. He was crying and trembling, drenched in sweat, but at least the fever was gone.

"Takeshi, next time you want to help Natsu call me first okay? Then, now that we are all up, how about we go eat breakfast?"

"Yeah!" The little boy agreed.

Tsuyoshi had already left to go put the sword back under the bed. And to possibly escape from her reproachful gaze.

Oh, he was not safe. Not until her baby had calmed down.

* * *

To him, Natsushi, the day was not going as it should.

His brother had scared him half to death while trying to ' _help_ ' him, although he would probably sooner send him to heaven, and he was wearing one too many layers of clothes. Just to make sure he wouldn't get worse or get sick again.

On the bright side of things, he was at least was out of his room and back to the playroom. The light colored walls with the tatami floor was like a breath of fresh air. And he had his wind chime to help his frazzled nerves.

"Natsu, Chiyo is here!" His Mother said before opening the door of the playroom.

I lifted my head to look at her and the child in her hands. I openly gawked.

Of course, Chiyo was not amused by this, and she certainly hadn't forgot what had happened yesterday.

Little Chiyo was wearing a purple and pink dress, that had frills and lots of sparkles, and white shoes. All in all she looked like a ballerina. A cute one at that.

"Ahaha! Chi- _chan_  looks so  _cute_!" Cue Takeshi voicing out loud what everyone thought.

A vein popped in her forehead.

"Hey, Mom! How come Chi-chan has so many cute dresses?" Takeshi asks.

"Because her parents buy them for her. Just like Mommy and Daddy buy your and Natsu's clothes." Mother answers.

"Oh! I thought it was because Chi-chan was a  _princess_!" Takeshi replies.

Another angry vein. Oh? So ' _Princess_ ' is rule n.º 4 of 'Avoid at all costs'?

I sigh. This is going to be a long day.

Inwardly I'm smiling.  _Back to normal._

Something hits my head.

I turn to look at a pissed off Chiyo. Okay, so not completely back to normal...

I smile a wide sheepish smile at her. Huh, sorry about yesterday?

She glares at me and...

Reaches out her hand to me.

_Huh?_

I take it.

The sensation that I had about the prairie returns and I let my head fall back down. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Chiyo fluttering her eyes sleepily before laying beside me.

And wrapping the other hand around me like I was some sort of giant teddy bear.

I was not cute or cuddly either Chiyo! So why do you do it all the time?!

I feel my eyes get heavier.  _Why did I get tired all of a sudden?_

My eyes close and even before the darkness surrounds me, I feel like I am falling down.

* * *

Wind. The smell of flowers and the sounds of wilderness. The feeling of Summer.

I open my eyes and look around. I am back at the prairie.

A small rustle makes me slowly look behind my back. It's not the guy from last night. Actually it's Chiyo.

_What? How did she get here?_

She sits up by leaning against me for support and looks around with the same marvel I had last night.

At once she looks at me with a question in her eyes.

_Sorry, Chiyo I don't understand you. I can't talk yet and even if I did, I am as lost as you are._

She turned around again and at once she started to try and crawl.

Which ended every time in failure.

I huffed at her. We were both too young to crawl yet. And I strangely had no hurry to do that.

Turning my back on here I focused solemnly on the scenery around me. The eagle and the crow, the big castle and the forest. The mountain and the sky with the puffy white clouds.

The wind caressing my face and rustling the leaves and the tall grass.

_This was paradise._

What if it truly was? I mean, yesterday a guy that was definitely dead was here...

The question seemed to mull around inside my head before I threw it out.

Nah, that was impossible. And this time I mean it was really impossible.

Because, c'mon...  _Who would actually be able to enter paradise from inside one's head?_

Somehow I feel like I was lying to myself but I didn't care.

Truth be told, I don't know how long we actually were inside of the strange place, but we were roused from it by my Mother waking us up from our ' _nap_ '. While we were inside if felt like hours but when we came out it was more like thirty minutes.

I was confused and surprised while Chiyo seemed more upset and she looked like she was plotting something.

The striking gleam in her pink eyes made me shiver. _That was not like what a six month old should look like._

* * *

February and March passed by before we noticed it.

Me and Chiyo started crawling, teething and she in particular is louder than ever before. By one simple action.

Clapping.

Huh... I am so tired of that sound! Why do I have to go through this punishment by God?! What did I do to deserve such fate?

Just kidding, she's just as irritated as me sometimes.

Our escapades to ' _The Prairie_ ' as I am now referring to it, are constant. And if Elias is here when we nap, we found we could easily bring her along. But a five year old and two eight month olds in a prairie together?

In short, it's a loud and trouble making mess of children.

'Natsume' hasn't appeared again. But sometimes I feel a cold chill coming from the deeper parts of the forest. Another reason as to why I don't get closer to it.

Elias and Takeshi have both grown taller, while me and Chiyo are a bit chubbier and more coordinated. Elias is able to trip on her feet at times but catches herself more often than not.

Just don't let her set the table if you still want to have plates at the end of the night.

I have two front teeth and one in the back. Chiyo has three under teeth and one on top. Her head finally has hair, which is tied in two pigtails, while mine is long for a boy but not long enough for me to be confused for a girl.

Not that me and Chiyo would look all that different if she wore clothes like mine or I wore dresses. Babies are oddly androgynous...

Oh! And now that we crawl, we are not confined in the playroom anymore. Chiyo and I have found crawling amidst the tables of the restaurant to be amusing. And yes, I said that Chiyo and I playing crawling tag together is amusing.

And it is.

Bumping against some stranger's leg, not so much, but it's fun to be under my parents feet and is always reason to smile mischievously.

There was no danger as every client knew that the two babies crawling all over the place belonged to the owners. I was surprised Chiyo's parents didn't mind that their daughter was called 'The little girl of the Yamamoto's'.

Once I could talk half decently I hoped to ask her about that.

What else? Dr. Einar and I have started to have consultations once a month. They're really boring most of the time, with him and that strange nurse making me do these really simple and demeaning things like grabbing the right toy or something.

And I am not proud to say that I am making the job difficult for myself. I refuse to do it most of the times but that actually ends up biting me in the arse as they believe I just don't understand it.

Chiyo once assisted on one of these sessions and she stared at me like I was an idiot for pulling this 'stupid' card on them before huffing and starting to play with my Mother's necklace.

The scene was cute, and a pinch in my heart wondered what about Chiyo's mother. I rarely saw the woman, and I guessed Chiyo didn't actually see her that much either. The woman's long blond hair and pink eyes made Chiyo identical to her, but the nose and eyebrows were different.

Chiyo was not always pleased to leave the restaurant and there was one time she spent the night here after a big meltdown on the entrance.

I didn't catch much of my parents arguments but from the bits and pieces that I heard. Chiyo refused to let go of my Mother and her mother ended up leaving without her.

My Mother had tried to go after her but the woman had just left.

Sharing my crib with Chiyo was not bad, I guess, I felt oddly empathic when she started to sob quietly against me. Part of me wanted to protect her, to try and make it better but I was at a loss of what to do.

_So I just held her hand and tried to drag her to The Prairie._

Crawling amongst the tall grass and under the everlasting Summer sky was refreshing. And I will admit, Chiyo smiling under the same sky is even more beautiful.

It made me happy to see my best-friend smiling at me.

**When did I start seeing Chiyo as my best-friend and not the loud child in the playroom?**

* * *

Father and me have started an agreement. I can be in the kitchen as long as I absolutely don't touch anything. Easy for me to follow, if I don't bring Chiyo with me.

Sometimes I even stay under this empty cupboard underneath the counter where Father makes the sushi. Something to describe my Father:

He's  **amazing**  with the knife.

I find myself oddly attracted by the idea of having one and doing the same as he does. Just the necessary cuts and nothing more.

Grandfather and Grandmother came over for another visit. This time no tears and whispered comments, as I was passed to both of them and thrown into the air again. It's as great as I remember it to be.

Chiyo was here when my grandparents came so they got to meet her. My Grandfather threw me an assessing glance as if he was confirming something but that was not the weirdest thing he did.

He gave me and Takeshi both a secret gift away from Mother's and Father's eyes.

Takeshi received this wooden toy sword, while I received a  _ring_.

A really weird and strangely cut ring. As if it had been cut in half.

I gave Grandfather a weird glance before I put it in the pocket of my overalls.

Yes, overalls. Shorts with suspenders and a t-shirt underneath. Me and Chiyo were most often than not barefoot on the wooden floor.

And spring is coming up. The snow outside is melting. I had hopes of starting to be able to play on the snow but I had not the strongest immune system. In fact, me and Chiyo had to be vaccinated two time in the last two months.

I can safely say I have a new found fear of needles. I blame Takeshi for that.

The stunt he pulled on my that day is still far from forgotten.

Well, I guess that was pretty much what happened so far. April is coming next and Takeshi is going to be four. He's so cute being all excited about that.

Oh, and surprise surprise! He wants a baseball themed birthday party.


	9. Part I - Chapter 8

It was April. The weather was finally warming up and there was not as much rain as in the previous month.

Chiyo and I have began to explore the backyard.

It's not very big. There's a big fence around it and there a tree with strong branches. A few flower patches and a bush.

Of course at this time, I could care less about the length of the backyard and its contents as I softly pushed Chiyo out and toppled over her. Her angry expression at me was not as scary when you saw her looking at her dress, now dirtied by me, with a disgruntled expression on her face.

She looks far too childish and girly to those who know how she can truly be like.

"Natsu! You can't do that!" Takeshi tells me in a disapproving voice.

_Why?_

"What's wrong?" Mother asks when she comes out to the backyard carrying some things for the party.

"Natsu pushed Chiyo!"

"Ara, Natsu! That's not good. Chiyo is a girl, you can't be mean to girls." Mother says.

_Again, why?_

I look at Chiyo. She's surprised and upset at the same time. But before either Takeshi or Mother could say anything else, she got up and pushed me.

Falling on by butt doesn't hurt due to the nappy I've grown used to, but all the same I look up at Chiyo with a question in my eyes.

_Really?_

"Chiyo! You can't push Natsu either!" Takeshi tells her, hands on his hips.

Sorry, Big brother, Mother's scarier than you even if you try to imitate her.

"Chiyo, that's not how a girl behaves." Mother sighs.

_Oh, now she's done it._

She looks at me again and extends her hand at me. I take it and get up.

Chiyo pushed me again.

_Oh, now you did it!_

Quickly getting up, I tackle Chiyo to the ground. Down we go and I will make you look like a garden gnome when I'm done with you!

"Hey! No fighting!"

_Too late, Mother._

* * *

So, it's not like we actually hurt either of us with our ' _fighting_ '. The worse we did?

We ended up rolling into a puddle from the last rainy day we had, and from there on out we turned from dirty to wet, and from wet to muddy.

And now we are in the bath.  _Together._

Not even the rubber duck was safe from the onslaught of splashes and gurgled threats and comments about the others failure at correctly moving their limbs.

Mother had this pained look on her face for quite a while before she started laughing as the two of us kept splashing the other.

She called something to our Father and when he came in the bathroom carrying a camera. I knew what the request had been.

_Did I care?_  Water splashes my face.

_No, no I did not._

I grinned as I splashed her back. She had an identical expression on her face.  _Oh, competitive are we?_

Tough luck, I'm not letting you win this one.

Who cares if you're a girl? You're my friend and if she wanted a fight, she's going to get one.

I barely registered the fact that the two of us were laughing by the end of the bath. Or how Mother kept this wishful smile while drying the two of us.

* * *

The two of us are in the playroom. Takeshi is outside and we are not allowed there because we just had a bath and might get sick.

_Not fair._

I look to see what Chiyo is doing. She's wearing some of my clothes while hers are being washed. And I'll admit she looked cute in my footed pajamas. She's currently absorbed in completing this six piece puzzle Takeshi brought from his room once.

I crawled up to her side and saw her look at me before pointing at the puzzle.

_'You want my help?'_  My eyes seem to ask.

She nods her head.

_Okay then._

I pick the pieces and flip them over correctly. First step done.

Then I pick the corners and place them correctly. Then I just fill the gaps with the remaining pieces.

I look at her and point back to the puzzle.

_'Easy, see?'_

She nods again before dragging a box of another puzzle from her other side.

She opens the box and lets the pieces fall off.

Doing the same exact thing I did, she completes the puzzle.

She smiles at me.

_'Thank you.'_  She almost seems to say.

I shrug. The _'You're welcome'_  was left unsaid.

I crawled further from her and started to play with the colorful blocks Father had given Takeshi.

Though, for some strange reason, I kept glancing over my shoulder to see Chiyo completing several more puzzles.

I smiled to myself.

_Wait, why am I smiling?_

* * *

The birthday party has started. Me and Chiyo are sat on this low plastic chairs while Takeshi does all of this activities and games with other children his age.

I've never seen half of them, but by the looks of it they are known kids and friends of Takeshi.

And of course, he had to introduce us (me and Chiyo) to them.

*flashback*

_"Hey, Hiro! This is my baby brother Natsu. He's still too little to play with us."_

_"Who's the girl?"_

_"That's Chiyo, she's Natsu's friend."_

_"What? Your brother has a girl as his friend? Girls are gross!"_

_"Heh? But Chiyo is still too young to be gross, isn't she?"_

_"Yeah, I guess..."_

*end of flashback*

Chiyo was seething beside me. A thumb was inside her mouth and she seemed almost harmless. Except for the dark gleam in her eyes and the shadows of doom hanging over her shoulders like an aura of evil.

_Chiyo, do try to not kill off my brother, okay?_

Mother was talking over with some of the other mother while father was with the few dads that showed up.

Guess father's are not really  _that_  interested in this affairs?

I sighed, leaned back into my chair and just let the day pass by.

That was of course before I hear the most magical word of all.

"Who wants cake?"

I sat up straight in a single second. Chiyo close behind me.

I should have guessed...  _Who doesn't love cake?_

"Ah, but no giving any to Chiyo and Natsu! It's a family rule remember!"

_**WHAT?!** _

Me and Chiyo are both horrified. We want cake!

"Not even a bite?" Takeshi asks.

"No, not even a bite. It's a family rule that they can only eat chocolate for the first time in their first birthday." Mother says," It was the same with you Takeshi, don't you remember?"

"No." The little boy answers.

"They won't either. Don't worry I'll go give them a cookie so they don't feel bad."

_How can we not feel bad?!_  They're having cake!  _ **Chocolate**  cake!_

I can see Chiyo thinking the same.

Mother kneels in front of us with two butter cookies in her hands. One baseball cookie for me and another for Chiyo.

I glare at it before pouting and resigning myself to eat it. Better than nothing.

Chiyo takes a bit more persuasion but she eats it all the same.

After a while presents are opened, and then the guests start to leave.

Takeshi gets to stay up late that day so I'm off to bed with Chiyo (who for some reason stays here tonight).

Not that it matters. Chiyo has been staying here for what? She was three months when we first started to be here in the playroom, and she's going to be a year old in June. That's two months away from now.

A quick calculation inside my head and I figure out she's been here for nine months.

Yeah, at this point the restaurant might as well be her second home.

* * *

May quickly comes and brings a new discovery to me.

_Bugs._

Guess what. I have a new found disgust for something. I hate bugs. Don't know why and truth is I don't really care.

I don't like bugs and I want nothing to do with them.

Chiyo doesn't mind them. In fact, she thinks it's funny to grab on and chase after me with it.

Never will I sleep peacefully around Chiyo. She just knows too many of my weaknesses to not explore them somehow,  _someday_.

Mother has been growing worried about something recently. I don't know what it is but the looks she ' _discreetly_ ' gives Chiyo and the front door have increased.

Takeshi seems oblivious to this, which leads me to question if somehow my eyes are just seeing more than they should at this age.

Like I was born without a filter and I'm just getting the straight ' _un-sugar coated_ ' version of everything.

Chiyo seems to have noticed it also, so I guess I'm not alone on this. And I'll have to ask Elias when I'm older.

Ah! It's so frustrating to say that! I'll just have to wait until I'm older.

Oh, when I'm older I'll be able to do it.

I just feel I'm just putting things in this bucket list I'll forget after two years.

But there's no helping it, is there?

I mean, what can a baby like me do?  _I'm powerless over everything around me._

**I hate this feeling.**

* * *

June comes sooner than expected. Chiyo is ecstatic since yesterday when her mother came to pick her up, they'll have a family day tomorrow and they'll be taking her to several treats.

I don't know if she's happy for that or for the fact her family will be spending some time with her.

So today Mother does a small party with me, Takeshi and Father as Chiyo's birthday party guests and we have this cute muffin to eat.

Unfortunately no chocolate. I still have to wait another month for my birthday. Again, not fair.

* * *

Today's boring.

Chiyo's not here and Takeshi has gone out with friends to play baseball in the park. Must be around two in the afternoon and I'm just lazily playing with some toys when I roll over and something falls out of my pocket.

It's the ring grandfather gave me the last time he was here.

Since there's no one else here with me I guess I can take a closer look at this thing.

There's that strange cut, as if it is split in half, but there are drawings on the sides. Clouds and lightning. There are also this chicken scratches, I assume it to be rain, between them.

It's completely made of metal and there's also some strange symbol on the inside of it, with words I can't read and understand going around it.

_What a strange ring._

Under the light of the room, it's as if the ring has a shine of  **gold**  underneath the  **bronze**  color. And the  **silver**  highlights don't really make it all that simple.

I slip it onto my finger.

Nothing really special happens. Don't even know why I even thought something would happen.

_Maybe if it was complete?_

* * *

_Chiyo is crying._

Not tears of 'oh I want that' or tears of 'Give me that now'.

No. Chiyo was crying out of hurt.

It is night, and I am in my crib when all of a sudden someone knocks rather rudely on the front door of the restaurant. It must be past midnight, the sky outside is black and the moon is hidden behind the clouds.

And my parents got up to see what was going on.

What they find?

_Chiyo_. In a baby carrier. With two bags and a  _note_.

'We had to leave, and we can't take her'

Was all it said.

Nothing more nothing less, not even a signature. Though it was clear who had done it.

The day was July 1st.

It was July 1st when Chiyo became a  _permanent_  resident of the Yamamoto restaurant.

And not even all of the dresses, and riches and earings her family could later on give would change the fact that after her first birthday, Chiyo would only see her family again after a long time.

Her newly pierced ears were actually a pretty sour point that drove that fact home.

_One birthday, and they were gone._

She was a baby, not even a toddler yet she remember this day quite clearly. As did I.

Because this was the day Ritsushima Chiyo successfully awoken her true mastery of the shadows that had always been with her.

A large and terrifying serpent that wrapped around my -  _ **our**_  - crib all night, and was only gone when the sunlight filtered on through the curtains.

But she had been asleep to actually see it for the first time. I had not.

The black and blood red serpent with midnight blue blazing eyes stared at me with a question.

**_'Will you protect her?'_ **

And my green/blue eyes answered with a  _green_  blaze.

**_'I will'_ **

Electricity sparked from my fingertips while I reached to pet the serpents head.

The sleepy core inside me yawned and opened one bleary eye before turning around and falling asleep again.

It was not it's time yet. It was still too early.

But even if it was asleep again, part of it's awareness wasn't going to simply disappear again. It was already ready to go see the world again.

_How long as it been?_

* * *

"Twenty-six years..." A dark haired young man says to himself.

His eyes are shadowed by his hair but you could still see the unnatural color in them. The blazing green and the calm blue.

"But he's still too young...  _Please_... Let him grow before he has to bear this curse..."

_His pleas went unheard._

And the wind kept softly rustling the leaves and the tall grass around him.

* * *

Natsu was  ** _not_  **happy.

He was mad and he was angry and he wanted to yell and scream at someone.

_But he would not._

He would keep still and he would continue to hug his crying friend as she held onto him like a lifeline. Patting her head and rubbing awkward circles in her back to keep her from feeling overly bad.

Takeshi had been sent to a daycare for the day and the restaurant was closed.

Mother had stayed behind with me and Chiyo while Father went to the police station. She went through everything Chiyo had with her while the two of us were in the playroom.

It must be because this is the first time Chiyo I've seen Chiyo this  _sad_  and  _lost_  but I feel incredibly  _ **vindictive**_.

That and  _possessive_.

**_No one should dare to hurt Chiyo!_ **

I growl lowly before I realize Chiyo could hear me.

Part of me was afraid she would back away from me.

What I was not expecting was her arms tightening around my small frame and placing her head under my chin.

I froze for a second there.

The shadowy serpent circled around the two of us.

I wanted her to sleep. She was so tired and if she slept she could at least have a nice dream or something.

A pulse of blue went unseen by me. But it did little more than just calm her down.

When she lifted her head. Her puffy red eyes made me tear up.

She did not deserve this on her birthday. A sudden thought.

I grab her hand and gently tug her into the Prairie.

The sun and fresh air there was a thousand time better than the depressing state back at the restaurant.

She looks confused before turning to me.

Is it too strange that I looked incredibly lost and stupid at the same time?

She smiled a bit thought, so it's a win for me, and sprawled on the grass beside me.

_We can just stay here for a bit._

_Forget what's going on outside and take a breath. No use worrying now. We had time._

_I didn't mind that Chiyo wasn't going anywhere. She's_ family _._

_Yeah, that has a ring to it doesn't it?_

_Family._

**... Famiglia ...**


	10. Part I - Chapter 9

In the end there was nothing to be found about her parents. The offices where they worked said that they had left days before, neighbors said they saw nothing, and there were no plane or boat tickets bought under their names.

Nothing. Like they vanished from the face of the earth. The only evidence that they actually existed in the first place was Chiyo.

Speaking of Chiyo...

I'm started to get worried. After our escapade to the Prairie, she came back with a with a different mindset. She seemed to not want to be sad anymore. Like she just accepted that she was left behind.

And that is something that doesn't sit well with me. It feels like barbed wire is being wrapped around me when she forces herself to smile.

And I just grit my teeth, and at night I restart the routine of rubbing circles on her back and listening to her cries.

She's one year old. I'm about to be one year old.

Chiyo shouldn't have to be like this. She shouldn't have to pretend to be happy.

A letter had been found for Chiyo inside her parents home, but it was addressed for when she is eighteen so no luck finding out what is inside of it.

Not sure if I wanted to find out at all.

Takeshi doesn't mind having Chiyo living here, Mother refuses to let either me or Chiyo leave her line of sight and Father just goes along with everything. Though, he likes Chiyo's presence as much as Mother does.

Elias' parents came over the other day to make sure everything was okay. Elias and I began a new battlefront of trying to make Chiyo smile. Well, Elias partially succeeded. Does smiling very innocently with bloodlust raging around you after being called a ' _sissy_ ' counts?

By the time it's my birthday I don't really feel that festive. I share my cake with Chiyo— the taste of chocolate makes things moderately better— and then I open some presents.

New clothes, new shoes, a baseball (I wonder who gave me that *insert roll of eyes*), a rocking horse and a puzzle set.

I guess Mother thought it was me that did all of our puzzles? Well, not that I care. Chiyo can have it.

The rocking horse was mine though. I loved it as soon as Father brought it out of the restaurant's back room.

I've wondered what's in there. The door is always locked and when it was unlocked either Father or Mother picked me up before I got a chance to get in.

But as the days settle the emotions of pain and the fact that Chiyo had been left on our doorstep, which Mother and Father knew more than they let on, we just fell into this routine.

_Like nothing had ever went wrong._

* * *

Time passes fast when you're occupied.

Really, that's the best way to describe it. After we turned one lots of stuff happened.

My sessions with Elias' father started to involve them now attempting to make me repeat sounds or placing objects in boxes or seeing if I could follow simple commands. The sessions weren't so bad. If only the creepy nurse wasn't following my every move with her eyes. And her eyes were another thing.

There's something ' _off_ ' with her. Like really really bad stuff.

Even Chiyo was weirded out by her. And she focused on Chiyo immediately when she entered the room. I swear I could hear mutters of ' _Impossible_ ' or ' _Amazing_ ' coming from her.

_Listen lady, you touch_  one finger _on a hair of hers. And you'll lose_   _a_  hand.

Like seriously, that serpent no one seems to see other than me and Chiyo (Elias as not seen it thanks to that shiny barrier), doesn't look like it was going to let his (her?) creator get hurt without a fight.

And neither was I, but first I need a way to actually fight back.

Chiyo and I learned how to do more stuff, we've started to try and walk. In one word. It's painful.

In a single day, I've bumped into I don't know how many door frames or edges that have these plastic covers so we don't get hurt all that much.

Summer came up so the two of us play outside most of the time. The tree provides a bit of shade and there's more space to fall down without hitting something on the way down.

Takeshi will start to go to preschool full time after summer vacation. He kind of only stayed home to look after me, but now with my walking and stuff it's best to just let Mother or Father handle it.

Takeshi doesn't mind. He's happy to go meet his friends everyday.

I'm not so sure about going to preschool when I'm of age. But at least Chiyo is going with me.

Oh, my wind chime!

It broke.

I'm not kidding you, Father should have placed it higher already because during one of my attempts I tripped fell on my butt, and my back hit where the wind chime was, prompting everything to fall and break it.

I was unhurt, Chiyo was unhurt. My poor wind chime didn't make it.

I was sad. He had done nothing wrong in this world. Such a cruel fate...

Chiyo was happy about it too! Seriously, jealous much, Chiyo? My poor wind chime!

So, July and August, then September.

Takeshi looks really cute in his preschool outfit.

There's this blue smock they have to wear, and a pair of tan shorts. Some pair of comfortable shoes (Mother says they change once inside the school), and this yellow hat.

Really cute.

I can't wait to wear the same thing two years from now. (Please read: Sarcasm.)

* * *

Guess Takeshi really liked Kindergarten. I feel left out.

Chiyo has started to make half sense with her babble. I talk a bit too. But I just prefer to be quiet, there's just so much you can hear if you stay quiet.

We can finger feed now, and we can walk minimally well.

Oh, you know what's my new favorite past time to irk Chiyo?

_Imitate_  her.

"Don' tha'!" (Don't do that!)

"Don' tha'!" (Don't do that!)

She glares at me and I grin.  _Oh, don't like me doing that? Then make me stop, Chiyo!_

"Sto'." (Stop.)

"Sto'." (Stop.)

Serpent-san uncoils around Chiyo and starts circling around the two of us.

_Okay, I'm not scared. I can keep doing this._

"Nats' sto' no'!" (Natsu stop now!)

"Nats' sto' no'!" (Natsu stop now!)

Serpent-san hisses at me.

_Okay_ , now _maybe I should stop._

_But I don't want to..._

"Sto' no', Nats'. Chi' mean it'." (Stop now, Natsu. Chiyo (I) means it.)

_Should I or should I not?_

She glares at me like she's daring me to.

_Oh, who am I kidding?_

"Sto' no', Nats'. Chi' mean it'." (Stop now, Natsu. Chiyo means it.)

" **MAMA!** " She shrieks all of a sudden.

I jump.  _What?_

She gives me one last look before turning her head up and turning on the water works.

_Wait, she's not!_

The door to the playroom opens. Mother walks in. I stiffen before looking away in a movement that totally did not draw attention to myself.

Mother kneels down Chiyo and after a half gurgled excuses and plottings against me, she gets a lollipop and I get the ' _time-out_ ' corner.  _How's this fair?! I did nothing!_

_And Chiyo knows it!_

Look at her! All smiley and angelic looking, eating a lollipop like it's the rarity of the world.

I want a lollipop now...

* * *

So, October, November and December come. Out goes the Summer and in comes the winter.

What's better?  _Snow_.

We, as in me and Chiyo, finally are old enough to play in the snow. We are seventeen months now. How crazy is that?

There have been some changes in the playroom. Half of it has been converted into this miniature house, and the other half is this storage space with a table and lots of activities.

There's also this chest filled with dress-up clothes.

You read that right. Dress-up.

I really hate Chiyo sometimes. In particular when she made me wear this bear outfit.  **I AM NOT CUTE!**  So stop saying it already.

Chiyo likes playing pretend. I prefer construction better. But sometimes we put differences aside and we sit beside each other making puzzles together.

Mother found us like that one day and decided to get more puzzles. Harder ones!

At first it was six pieces. Then eight. Then Twelve. And then after a conversation with Dr. Einar, there was a jump to twenty four puzzle pieces.

Those were hard but Chiyo and I could go through them after an hour or so.

Takeshi is doing pretty well in school.

He says he has lots of friends and that there is a kid that everyone calls ' _Useless Tsuna_ ' in a different group.

Also he and Hiro are no longer friends after the other boy pushed a girl from the top of the slide because she was taking too long.

He's actually grounded because of the way he chose to resolve the situation, although I believe Takeshi's actions were justified. His action?

Punched the kid in the face.

Chiyo and I  _clapped_  when he told us. Actually, that might be the reason he got grounded.

No teaching violence to kids Takeshi.

Too late Mother. Besides, Chiyo is the one that easily resorts to either violence or psychological battle of wills.

Father got me a new wind chime. This one has my favorite colors on it.

For some reason I love green. Like lime green color. And I love this orangey-yellow color.

Me and Chiyo still share a crib though by now it's become crowded. Not that I'm complaining.

She doesn't snore and I take private comfort of knowing she's there.

And that there's a serpent that will choke the air out of someone stupid enough to try and show up in the middle of the night in our room.

Wow, actually most of my stuff became Chiyo's stuff. My crib, our crib. My toys, our toys.

My parents, our parents.

_Do I feel jealous?_

**Nope.**

* * *

Music is a godsend.

I swear it is. Like I can clearly remember every lullaby Mother sang to me and only now am I finding them to be awesome.

Chiyo is great at making music.  _*coughs awkwardly*_

But nothing will beat Mother and the flute. I wanna play that too, now.

Speaking of music. Elias started playing the violin. Grandma's request, she whispered to us when she came over for the weekend.

She's not in the same Kindergarten as Takeshi. She's in a private one.

And one more year of it and she's off to Primary school.

The Prairie hasn't changed much. We come here every night once we fall asleep without failure.

There have been twice where Elias showed up out of nowhere but we haven't found how exactly yet.

I haven't seen that ' _Natsume_ ' guy at all. There are times I feel eyes on my back but serpent-san is like a bodyguard so I'm not really that worried.

But back to music.

Me and Chiyo have discover its wonders and now we are going through and artistic phase. Remember that white thingy in my bedroom walls?

Yeah, that's like a genius corner of insanity. Scribbles and drawing and just random things here and there. Mother thought it was funny that Takeshi tried to teach us to write our names in kanji.

_Until me and Chiyo had a pretty decent first try at it._

So this time it was me and Chiyo both that went to have an appointment with the doctor. And they had tests done on both of us the worst possible way.

Competition against one another. The prize?

A chocolate egg.

Sorry, Chiyo... Chocolate for the win.

What we managed to achieve?

I do not suffer from Aspergers at all, nor am I autistic. Chiyo and I could actually be geniuses and we just need to have more challenging tasks.

The nice part both of us got that chocolate egg. Bad part is that creepy nurse looked far too pleased for my liking.

* * *

Another month went by and it's January again.

Elias turned six years old. She's as tall as my brother even if he's a year younger than her, and she's two heads and a hand taller than Chiyo and I.

Yamamoto made a new friend Hoshi and brought him over one afternoon to play a bit. He now introduces Chiyo and I as 'my little sister and my little brother', which I guess is an improvement.

Grandfather and Grandmother came over one weekend and took us for a walk. Grandfather got us these tricycles for us to try and ride.

Grandfather is amazing.

Chiyo got one too, which made her cheeks red.  _So cute~._

We actually pushed the pedals for a while but then we tired ourselves out and we just dragged the trike with our feet.

Chiyo and I have started to play this weird type of dodge ball between the two of us. Who gets hit by the ball is ' _it_ '. The one who is ' _it_ ' has to try and sneak a cookie from the kitchen.

If you won then you get to choose the next game.

If caught... I hope you enjoy time-out.

It's a nice game. Risky but it also improved our awareness of any situation. Like what's dangerous and what is not. How can I get there without being seen, etcetera.

Chiyo and I have also started this weird communication between the two of us. Not in the form of weird telepathic communication but we can get basic things across with just a twitch or a glance in the others direction.

And we use these new found gifts for one thing and one thing only.

Mischief.

Oh, our parent's disgruntled looks when something we do works.

The rule?

Not around the kitchen. That's off limits.

Also, our next goal is the locked room in the back of the house. Let's see how everything goes...


	11. Part I - Chapter 10

The perimeter was secure.

There was no one to be seen and the path we needed to take was lit by the soft moonlight shining through the door frames leading to the restaurant and to the playroom. The stairs were without the safety doors and this was our only shot at this.

Mother and Father were asleep, Takeshi slept like a log so there was no chance of waking him up, the biggest issue would be going down the stairs.

The plan was simple. Go as slow as you can because as soon as we make any noise, the parents are going to wake up. So no use rushing.

Me and Chiyo were using some warm pajamas and we had socks on. We waited for a while after everyone went to bed and silence fell on the house to try and climb out of the crib.

It was relatively easy when there's another kid in the crib and you prepared before hand in the case you fell over. Soft and fluffy pillows were lined up under the crib in case it did happen.

I went first and then Chiyo came after. We were breathing through our noses just in case Father or Mother were still awake.

The door had been oiled (after Takeshi Incident n.º 1) so it made no noise when we opened to take a peak at the hallway. Not a soul in sight.

_Right, it's now or never._  I opened the door more and signaled Chiyo to come. We crawled to the stairs. We could walk but being closer to the ground and having more expertise in that form of movement helped.

When we reached the stairs I looked back into the hallway.

I looked at Chiyo beside me. Her pinkish eyes gleamed in the moonlight as her serpent coiled around her, and she gave me a resolute nod.

'Operation Start.'

Turning around, the two of us began to slowly make our descent. Our legs dragged on the stairs and as we were still light, they gave only a minimal creak. It scared us at first but down the hallway, in our parents bedroom, it wouldn't reach.

There were twenty steps total. In two minutes we had managed to leave our room and climb down three steps.

Chiyo was growing confident but I gave her a serious look.

_'No rush.'_

She gave me a nod back and started to climb down slower once again.

If we were found there was no way this would be possible again. Nine steps left.

My breathing came in slow puffs. _No useless movements._  Breathe in breathe out, slow and deep. Seven steps left.

Chiyo's foot slipped a bit but she did not fall or make any noise. Her brows furrowed in concentration. Five steps left.

Our legs hurt and our palms were getting sweaty from our 'exercise', but just a little more. Three steps left.

No backing out. No mistake to be had. This is it. One step left.

Casting a glance over my shoulder, my eyes shone with pride as our feet touched the ground.

Ground level - Primary objective complete.

With grins on our faces we resumed our crawl. Down the hallway there's a key storage thing, it's Takeshi's height plus two hands.

Looking around and holding our breaths to see if someone had awoken, we cast our senses outwards.

_Perimeter is still secure_ , no one had moved and no one knew we were gone from our crib.

We reached our  _target_ , looking upwards I searched for the old and slightly odd key amongst the other that were kept there.

Target found. Second to the left. It was still two high for us to reach it but we already had a plan for that.

Just like staking blocks.  _It's time to play Tower, Chiyo._

I rest on my forearms and legs, Chiyo climbs on top of me and, using the wooden frame as support, stands up on my back.

It hurts but I hold in any disapproval from my body. It was necessary, therefor it had to be done.

She grabbed it, the other keys jingled a bit, but again the noise was minimal. Biting the key in order to use her hands, Chiyo slowly descended from her upright position and slid from my back.

Sitting on her butt beside me, she held the key proudly.

Target acquired. Proceed to the mission's next checkpoint.

The moonlight guided us to the door we had many times stared at. What was behind it?

_Well, time to find out._

Once again, Chiyo climbed onto my back and she put the key in the keyhole. One twist, and the 'cling' sound that meant it was now unlocked was like music to our ears.

Mission Succeeded. Status: Complete.

The door was a bit older so we had to extra careful opening it, or sliding it open as we soon found out.

There was moonlight shining inside so we could see decently well.

It was a  _dojo_.

Or what I assumed to be a dojo. There were wooden swords lined up on the wall, as well as armors and other things I could see.

But what caught our attention were the two swords that were placed on a small pedestal in the back of the room, directly in front of us.

This time we stood up and walked to the sword. There was no fear, as our goal had been met and we were just satisfying our curiosity now.

Serpent-san was circling around the room. Chiyo was by my right side.

I crouched in front of the pedestal. Gazing at the two swords with a question in my eyes.

_Why were these two special?_

They were both bamboo swords. One shorter than the other. They were out of their scabbards (which rested underneath each respective bamboo blade), which allowed me to see the differences between the two.

One had a dark handle and there was no hanging cord, a swallow was carved near the end of the scabbard mouth.

The other, the shorter sword, had a white scabbard. A silver handle and a red hanging cord attached to it. A Koi fish was carved in the scabbard near it's mouth. The pommel of the sword was worn.

_In fact, the shorter sword seemed to have been more used and older than the longer sword._

Had they not belonged to the same person?

And if not. Then  _who_  did it belong to?

"So this is what kept the two little mice busy for the past week, huh?" A voice asks, breaking the silence in the room, and making us jump in fright.

I turned my head back so fast it almost gave me whiplash.

Father stood at the door, a robe on him and a tired look on his eyes.

Chiyo and I did not reply or move. We were not afraid per se but I at least was revising our plan and asking myself what went wrong.

"It surprised me actually. You making this far without alerting anyone, and let me say that your Mother is quite the light sleeper, and you were only found because I was expecting you." Father said, coming closer to us.

_What?_

"Expec' us?" I asked, my high pitched voice was a sore point to me, for some reason.

Father came to a stop in front of us and sat down. He was smiling a bit though his eyes were still tired. Weighted.

"For the past week you've been casting glances to the door, looking at every nook and cranny with particular intent. It was just a matter of guessing what you two were planning to do." He told us, "But you actually making it this far? Not even in my dreams did I expect that. Good work."

_We beamed._  We did good. Of course we did.  **We were awesome.**

"Heh, but don't tell your Mother I encouraged this behavior! It was really foolish to do this without supervision, but you are alright and I know you took careful analyzation of everything before actually acting out your plan." Father said.

Me and Chiyo nodded.

Then his eyes fell on the two swords and his expression became wishful. Similar as to how Mother looked at us when we took a bath together.

"Whos' tha'?" I ask, pointing at the shorter sword. (Whose is that?/ To who does it belong?)

Father's eyes widen at me.

"Why that sword in particular, Natsu?" He asks.

I think for a bit.  _Why indeed?_

"Special... It'  _feel_ ' special." I then said.

He smiled at me and rested a hand on my head.

"It belonged to you Uncle Natsume." He said, "He and I were taught under the same master, a long time ago."

"Why here?" Chiyo asked, pointing at the sword.

"His sword was given to your Mother when he passed away." Father said with a sad smile, "But she didn't want it, so I took care of it instead."

"Why Koi?" I ask.

Father looks at me startled.

"Why's there a Koi carved in it?" He asks.

I nod, looking up at him.

There's a look on his eyes. The same look Grandfather gave me. He was thinking something I still did not understood completely.

"It is an Asagi Koi. Natsume liked them." Father answered, "Used to say it had his colors."

_Had his colors?_

_What does that mean?_

Chiyo was about to ask something when there's a long noise upstairs. Serpent-san hisses and coils around us protectively, something was wrong.

Amidst this I failed to see that Father carefully stepped backwards when Serpent-san surrounded us.  _I failed to notice that_ he _had_ seen _it._

Father took one look at us and said with a tone of finality:

"Do not move from here."

And then he left the dojo.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Mother came into the dojo, with a not so happy expression on her face, and picked us up. She hugged us and then we went to sleep with them that night.

Why? I don't know. Just that the door to our room was closed and that we were forbidden to try and enter it the next day.

Not that we really had any chance to... We spent the next three days in time out because of our mission.

Though Chiyo and I could care less. Every time someone mentions our escapade they are met with twin grins and gleaming eyes.

We just had to repeat that. But the question was...

_What to do?_

I guess we could try to explore outside. But Mother and Father were both breathing down our necks after that little stunt so we had to wait a bit.

* * *

February and March came and went.

Another year of preschool is about to start, and for Elias, Primary school.

But that is all in April. In these two months we discovered the importance of eating with a spoon and started on chopsticks (I am having a bit of trouble with that...), and Chiyo is getting ready for what is called potty-training. Just so you know, I'm smiling mischievously at that.

_Why?_

Because, apparently, girls start first. And I am in no rush to sit on that weird chair thingy with a clown face on it. Neither is Chiyo but she has no choice.

We can run now. Not very fast, and we have this tendency to trip on our feet, but we can run. And we can kick and throw balls better at one another.

The dodgeball game has been upgraded. The 'it' now has to bring back to the playroom something from the upstairs or from the kitchen. If you think that is easy, then please allow me to tell you that:

1\. The stairs now have a safety gate.

2\. Father rarely leaves the kitchen.

3\. Mother is hounding us perpetually after that one time.

So game ' _Mission Improbable_ ' became ' **Mission Impossible** '. But impossible doesn't exist, it just means it's incredibly hard.

Not that I have been successful enough to tell that to Chiyo.

Takeshi is one of the most sociable kids on the block. He is not the brightest crayon in the box (I've seen him continually misread or misspell a word twice), but our little social-butterfly can make up for it with baseball.

Oh, yeah. He got invited to join this neighborhood baseball kiddie team. His eyes were flashing warning signs of extreme excitement and 'OMG I want to join'.

_Speaking of extreme..._

Me and Chiyo met an ' _Extreme_ ' kid last Tuesday. We went to pick Takeshi up when from one of the older classrooms comes this white haired kid, yelling  _quite loudly_ , how he had to pick his extreme little sister from the younger classroom.

Thankfully it was not in Takeshi's group or I'd worry about his hearing.

Takeshi said it was in 'Useless-Tsuna' group.

Oh, well... Not my business to care.

In one month, Takeshi is going to be five. Chiyo and I will be two years old. Time feels like sand slipping through my fingers.

_Should I worry?_

The memories of my first months are becoming fuzzy. I can remember everything about Chiyo but other things like how my bedroom first looked or like how I was wrapped in are impossible for me to remember right now.

Figures.  _At least it's not really important._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more info on Natsume's past.
> 
> If you have to know, an Asagi Koi (and I quote) "is light blue above and usually red below, but also occasionally pale yellow or cream, generally below the lateral line and on the cheeks. The Japanese name means pale greenish-blue, spring onion color, or indigo."
> 
> So that is to answer as to why Natsume referred to it as having the same colors as him. His eyes (and Natsu's) are greenish-blue.


	12. Part I - Chapter 11

I must be a pretty awful son. Just recently did I discover that my Father's birthday is April 1st.

_Don't look at me like that!_

It's not my fault I was preoccupied with other stuff.

Like trying to dress ourselves, drawing straighter lines, naming body parts, name animals, you know the drill...

So we were caught off guard when all of a sudden our Father says he feels old. *Insert me and Chiyo looking at him stupidly*

Mother just huffed at his antics but Takeshi, the ever present Mr. Helpful around the house, decides that we (Chiyo and I) had to give Father something ' _youthful_ ' for his birthday. And that's how we found out...

Chiyo and I are at a loss. What could our Father want? And, youthful? What does that even mean?

So, after a lot of discussion, we decided to imitate what he usually does. Cut sushi.

Now don't worry, I'm a  **professional**. At  _make believe..._

So with my reluctant partner, Chiyo the unbearable whiner, I decided to become Natsushi the Awesome Sushi-Maker.

In short, our act involved Chiyo dressed up in a fish costume (from our dress up station) and me with the wooden sword grandfather gave Takeshi last year. She would lay down on the ground then I would poke her with the sword and make exaggerated gestures and them she would disappear and reappear with my sushi romper on.

_The perfect youthful performance._

It worked in theory and Takeshi loved it, Mother was having a fit of giggles and Father was smiling at us with a twitching eyebrow.

Apparently, poking fish and making exaggerated gestures was not what Father hoped us to value in his work. Well, too late for that. Even when I grew up that's how I remembered Father making sushi.

All in all, it was a good day.

Then fast forward thirteen days and you have Chiyo and I standing on the sidelines next to a bunch of idiotic kids from Takeshi's group at school and from our neighborhood as they had ' _fun_ ' running around like headless chickens.

When Chiyo and I did it, it was cool, but when they did it, it was  _awkward_.

Now, the party was baseball themed (no surprises there), and this time we all could eat cake.

I gave Takeshi a drawing while Chiyo gave him a hug. Since we're still little there's no need for actual presents.

Father bought Takeshi a big bike with training wheels. Mother got him a t-shirt that had 'nº 1 in baseball' written on it.

Grandfather and Grandmother couldn't come so they sent their gifts through the mail.

A signed baseball from grandfather and a pair of knitted socks from grandmother.

The day ended well and Elias came the next day with a fake trophy. She and Takeshi were not the best of friends (he still didn't like her for some reason), but they are at least civil to one another.

* * *

Chiyo and I now have to do small chores around the house. It's May and I want to play outside, but instead we are doing the useless task of tidying up the playroom. Why is it useless?

_Because as soon as we get inside of it later and start playing around, this place will look like a hurricane passed through._

But that and helping around with small things in the restaurant is all we can do. Chiyo is shorter than me by three fingers but that is only because I will probably grow to be like Takeshi. Freakishly tall.

Not that he notices it all that much. Which confuses me... How can he not see that all of his classmates barely reach his chin?

His practices with the neighborhood baseball team have done him good. There's a skip to his walk that makes it really funny to see while me, Chiyo and Mother take him to school every day.

He talks a lot too now. Not like Chiyo and surely not like me. Father and Mother are like that too, always cheerful. Chiyo is not blood related so it doesn't bother her, but I feel like I must've  _skipped_  some sort of genetic pattern.

Oh, well. It's not that big of a loss.

Mother is taking us to the park in the afternoon to play with out tricycles. We can pedal better now so those have become more fun to use. It's also a way for Mother to have us exercise and wear ourselves out. God knows we've become terrible sleepers during the night.

But what can one expect, when you have your best-friend with you? Be it talking, laughing or attempting to make jokes, bed time now equals to late night fun.

Father had been muttering that he had hoped that knocking on the door of their child's bedroom at midnight was something he would only have to do during teen years. Not toddler ones too.

Mother then whispered something to him that made Father go green, then blue and finally red as he had to be hit in the back to remember how to breathe.

_What was that all about?_

Anyways, Mother is calling me and Chiyo upstairs (we can properly walk up the stairs now) to get dressed to go outside.

They're fairly simple play clothes. Warm and easy to move in. A pair of baggy shorts and a soft green colored jumper for me with blue sneakers and white and purple striped socks.

Chiyo was wearing a purple skirt, with white pumpkin shorts underneath to hid her nappy, plus a pink jumper and dark blue sneakers with white socks. Her hair had recently been cut so it was a in a simple and straight bob hairstyle. She liked it and that was what mattered.

Me, on the other hand... I had  _shoulder_   _long_   _hair_  and had this absolute refusal to get it cut. Though sooner or later I had to get it cut, Chiyo was starting to get things tangled in it just to have a reason for me to get rid of it.

I don't know what her problem is... It's  **my**  hair!  **Mine**! Not  _hers_!

So to keep from getting too confusing (I had been mistook for a girl before...) Mother would usually tied it up in two pigtails that looked like little ears on top of my head.

Father swore I had to get it cut before I went to preschool but I still had a year and two months before turning three and having to go through with that.

Getting on with the walk.

So I got into my tricycle and start pedaling, Chiyo is right beside me with Mother calling out a few times at us when I feel this  _pull_. I don't know how to really explain it.

Chiyo must've not have felt it because she kept pedaling, and Mother didn't feel it either, so when they rounded the corner, I just stood there looking in the opposite direction.

I blanked out. Now, that was a feeling I had not felt in a long time.

When I came to I was at a corner of a residential street. I got up from my tricycle and started to cross the street, passing by one or two houses, until there was that pull again. I turned to look at the gate of the house. Above it there was a kanji plate with the name of the family living there.

Now, Takeshi had taught us how to read a bit of kanji. Not a lot, but enough for me to know my own last name and differentiate it from others.

So I frowned in concentration, trying to decipher the kanji.

_'Sa... Saw... Sawada?'_

Something like that, I am sure...

There are noises coming from the backyard. I walk up to the gate. It's  _unlocked_.

Now that's a safety breach. If there's a kid in the house then all gates must be closed and locked. At least that's what Mother and Father always said regarding me and Chiyo.

The gate didn't make a whole lot of noise so I got inside of the yard without much trouble, the  _problem_  was what I  **saw**.

There was this little kid there, the same age as Takeshi, with this outlandish hairstyle. It was fluffy and stuck up on the hair like this mane of some sort. His eyes were caramel brown and they were wide with fright.

_Why he was afraid?_

There was this chihuahua puppy in front of him.

_I'm having a weird sense that I have_ seen this _before. That, and that_  I really shouldn't be here.

But before I could back track and go back to my tricycle the kid starts crying and this **huge orange flame**  burst out of his forehead.

The chihuahua flees the scene and I hide in the shadows of the corner of the backyard, the gate tight behind me just in case, it's the perfect hiding place for me to peak at the scene but not be seen.  _And right now, I_ don't _want to be seen._

_That flame! Why does it seem_  familiar?

_Wait... How does a flame burst out of someone's forehead like that?_

_What is this? Am I dreaming?_

_A-... you should see this ... I have here!_

_Why? What's it about?_

_Ma... You'll love it!_

_I don't think so. But, I'll give it a try._

_Great! Then, next time you can tell me what you thought of it._

_Those voices... Why are they coming back now?_  I thought they were over by now.

_It's been months since I last heard them._  What's going on?

What is this about?

_Hey, A-...! So, what did you think?_

_It was really great! Did you see how Ts-... handled it in that chapter?_

_Yeah, he was awesome. I wanna be like him, except not as wimpy..._

_Chapter? As in a_  book?

_Are these voices talking about a book? Which book then?_

_What's your favorite element then?_

_Huh? You're asking me?_

_Duh, who else would I ask? We're the only ones here._

_Oh, yeah, I forgot. Well, I would say I am a... a_ **Sun** _!_

_Sun?_

_Why a Sun?_

_Because, A-... I brighten up your day all the time!_

_That's not a very good reason..._

_Then, what about you? What's your element?_

_Oh? I think I'm more of a_ **mist** _._

_A mist? Not a chance! You're a_ **sky** _, one hundred percent!_

_A sky? I'm not that great, nor am I as cool as Ts-..._

_Sky? Mist?_

_What are they talking about?_  What is this?

My head hurts. _It feels like it's going to split open._

But the voices did not return. Instead there was a commotion in the backyard.

I took a peek.

There was this blond haired man with this elderly man whispering about something while the boy still had a fairly large flame on his forehead.

The old man nodded and lifted one finger.  _The tip of it lit up with the same kind of flame._

He touched it to the boy's forehead and he instantly fell asleep, the flame  **gone**.

I gulped. I was scared.  _That action brought a wave of fear in me._

For some reason, I  _knew_...  ** _I did not want that to happen to me._**

Cautiously, I turned and crawled away from the backyard. I did not want to be caught.

The gate though seemed to have other plans for me. It creaked when I went to close it. There were shuffled in the backyard. They surely must've heard that.

_Oh, hell..._

Okay, thinking fast I cataloged everything.

I was outside. With a tricycle and my clothes were a bit dirty from crawling on the dirt. My hands were still on the gate but the action of closing the gate could be confused by me opening the gate.

Turn on the water works and I could easily pass as a little lost kid.

Okay, breathe in and breathe out.

You can do this, you've been around Chiyo long enough to know how to pull the puppy teary eyed act to get something or to get out of something.

There's no rush.  _Just_ act _your age._

Stumble on your words. Cry for Mother. Act totally harmless and innocent.

"Hey, who are you!" The blond haired man asks, there's a frown on his face and a hidden edge to his voice.

I'm sorry, that edge is not so hidden to me, I swear I saw nothing.

I froze and looked up at the man. His brown eyes were sharp and the aura around him was strong.

Strong enough that my next course of action was only  _partially_  fake.

The waterworks came just like Chiyo had taught me. Tears spilling from my eyes and half gurgled apologizes. I was the picture perfect of a lost almost-two year old.

The man faltered. He had not expected that.

My cries grew in volume and the elderly man came from the backyard as well.

"Iemitsu, what's wrong? Who's the child?" The elderly man asked.

"Ah, Boss... I think the little kid's lost." The man, Iemitsu?, answered.

"Why is  _she_  crying?" The older man asked.

"I think I might've scared her..." The other one replied with a pinched expression.

The older man huffed and he walked with the help of a  _walking_   _cane_  closer to me.

That's no normal walking cane, something inside of me whispered.

He knelt down in front of me, opening the gate fully, and smiled at me. It was a  _kind_  smile, similar to the ones Grandfather gave me.

Do not be fooled! If he knows what you saw, he will do the same thing to you, the same voice whispered harshly, worse... If he knows  **who**  you are you will be worse than dead!

"Hello, little one. Don't be frightened. Where's your mommy?" He asked.

I looked at him and in my head I pondered about what I should tell him.

Do not lie! He will know if you lie! Tell him you lost sight of her, that you went in a different direction, the voice advised.

"Mommy... s-she went t-the o-o-other w-way." My high pitched and watery voice answered. There was slight hesitance and fear that, because of my age, could be overlooked.

"So, you don't know where she is?" The man asks.

I shook my head to say no. Internally I was pleading that Chiyo and Mother had noticed that I was missing and were looking for me. My legs weren't tired from pedaling so I couldn't have gone that far.

I looked back at my tricycle, on the corner of the street.

"Ah, well bring her inside. Maybe Nana knows who she belongs to." Iemitsu said.

My eyes widened. Oh no...

"Good idea, it's been quite a while since I've dealt with children this young." The elderly man answered before he reached to grab me.

Oh, no! Nonononononono! I jumped and my eyes went as wide as saucers when he still went to grab me. First rule about missing children. Never move them from the spot they are in.

Even less take them inside! I don't know them! Who the hell are they?!

I struggled. I did not like being picked up by strangers,  _and this stranger in particular was someone to look out for._

Not that my struggles did much else other than the man patting my head in a calm reassurance. It was not helping. My little heart was beating fast while he picked me up and tried to carry me inside.

I had only one way left to get out. My hopes were that either Chiyo or Mother were close by... Here goes nothing...

Breathe in.

"MAMA!" My shriek startled both men. My voice was quiet until a moment ago but now there was fear in every fiber of my body.

What I had seen had frightened me. His flame (whatever that was) had disappeared. The presence people have in them... his had been like a void. Empty. Cold.

And this man... There was power inside of him. Both of them...

But the older one gave me chills. Like I had seen this power before.

And it had not been in the best of terms...


	13. Part I - Chapter 12

My shriek seemed to have dropped some sense into their heads, as the man stopped trying to carry me inside of the house.

A few startled birds took off to the sky, and my heart was thundering in my chest. My wide eyes were looking everywhere for a way out.

Emergency survival instincts kicked in. I wiggled out of the man's grasp and I turned tail and fled towards my tricycle. I needed to turn back. Everywhere was better than this place.

**Danger!**  These men were dangerous, there was no doubt in my mind that if they knew what I did know, there would be backlash for me.

Not only that, but I'd worry more about your  **identity**  not being exposed, the voice from before told me in all seriousness.

_That's not helping! And what does my identity matter in all of this?_

You're too young yet! Don't even let the old man see your  **eyes** , don't let him grab you again, the voice urged.

_Why? Who are you? What is going on?!_

I can't tell you, and if I can help it, you'll never know, the voice stated.

I was about seven steps from the corner when I see the shadow of a man over me. They were right at my heels, there was no escape possible.

And then something ran straight into me.

The last thing I saw before my back met the ground was a mop of strawberry blond hair and a flash of angry pink eyes.

_Chiyo_. I was never as thankful to see her than I was at that moment.  _I was saved._

My arms reacted on instinct and I wrapped my arms around her.  _I was not going to let go._

Wherever Chiyo was, Mother must've been fast behind.

We fell to the ground and I let out a gasp and a whimper. That hurt...

Chiyo's arms immediately wrapped around me as well and I felt a shiver ran through her. Her snake was  _missing_. Like I felt the steady thrum of presence inside her, but it was muffled.

_Like it was being_ restricted _by something._

"Natsu! Chiyo!" Mother's voice called out. Her footsteps were loud.

The shadows of the men were still above us and the blond one tried to pry Chiyo off me, but I wrapped my arms tighter. Chiyo did the same. The unease I felt must've passed through to her.

_She knew something was wrong._

My eyes were closed shut. I was trembling and I wanted nothing more than just go home.

"Who are you?! Get away from them!" Mother yelled. The shadows retreated from us and I felt Mother's presence come closer and closer. I opened my eyes and both me and Chiyo got up.

We bumped right into her tights and our arms circled around her legs.

"Ah, you must be the little girl's mother... I'm sorry if we frightened her." The blond man said.

"Must've been quite the scare for Natsu to scream like that." Mother retorted, her heart was speeding as well. I noticed she completely ignored the fact I had been called a little girl.

"Ah, forgive us. It's been quite a while since we've been with a child this young, Mrs...?" The older man replied with that charismatic and ' _kind_ ' tone of voice.

Both me and Chiyo stiffened. Just a fraction but enough that Mother looked up to the man. I could hear the intake of breath she pulled in when she saw him.

" _You_." Mother said. Her voice was both shocked, frightened and angry.

I looked up at her. Why had Mother reacted like that?

The blond man stiffened and stood slightly in front of the older man, ready to protect him.

But the older man gave him the signal to stand down.

"Ah, Miss Kimura. I see that times sure have passed since I last saw you." The older man said with a sad voice.

"Yes.  _Twenty-six years_  to be exact." Mother answered in a curt tone of voice, there was an edge in her voice also.

"Twenty-six years, that long...  ** _He_  **would have been-" The older man started to reply.

"Do not talk of him! You have no right!" Mother yelled, her eyes were sharp and angry.

Chiyo and I were both confused and frightened. Mother never looked or acted like this.

When you overlapped the images of her being herself, in our daily life, with this woman— the only resemblance would be the appearance. Our Mother's eyes did not look like this.

This  ** _sharp_**. This  _ **angry**_. This  _ **mournful**_.

The older man did not reply. He gazed sadly at my Mother and then at the two of us. Mother's arms gripped tighter onto me. An action that was noticed by the old man, but whose consequences would only show years from now.

The man lowered his head and said his goodbyes before the two retreated and went inside.

My Mother kissed our heads before she picked up my tricycle and we started to walk back home. The walk to the park, totally forgotten.

* * *

It was night.

The house was dead asleep and I was on my crib, Chiyo was like a koala attached to me, and serpent-san was back in the crib (though it was starting to get way too crowded in it), and I was still awake.

I just couldn't fall asleep. There was way too much going on inside my head for me to fall asleep.

Mother and Father had closed the restaurant sooner and Mother had spent the rest of the day upstairs. She was not feeling too well, Father had told us.

But it was a  _lie_.

_Mother spent the rest of the day crying in their room._

Takeshi had agreed to the lie, but Chiyo and I had not. It was just so...  _fake_ , I guess.

Is there a way to explain the way people lie? What makes it sound like a lie?

The heat that flashed out lightly in my chest just told me it was a lie and I believed it. There was nothing more to it than that.

Chiyo reacted to my tiny, barely visible, flinch and responded equally.

_If I told her it was a lie, then she_ believed _my word._

And right now I needed to talk to someone...

I nudged her. Her pink eyes sleepily opened to glare at me.

Chiyo fact n.º 204 - She does not like her sleep getting disturbed.

"Chiyo... I... I saw som-somethin'" I whispered. My voice was aching, like I wanted to but regretted talking.

I could speak moderately well, but the pronunciation and lack of usage was still a constant reminder that I did not like to talk.

She must've taken that into account because her glared disappeared and she sat up against the bars of the crib. I sat opposite to her.

"When I blan' out, I felt a pull. I had to go ther'" I told her, "But, when I go' there it wa' a boy."

"Wha' boy?" She asked me, her voice still sleepy but had sobered up enough to seem serious.

"I dunno." I answered, my shoulders slumped, "They took it..."

"Took boy?" She asked, frowning.

"No, they took  _flame_." I told her, my eyes widened as I recall seeing, feeling, the young boy's presence slowly becoming fainter and fainter until I could no longer feel it.

"Flame?" She asked with a confused tone of voice.

"A big flame appeare' on his head." I told her, "Big  _orange_  flame."

She tilted her head to her side, as if in thought, and then hummed.

" **Like your eyes**?" She asked.

This time it was me that was confused. My eyes?

"My eyes are sea color." I told her.

"But they  **change to orange**." She told me.

They changed? They did? I never realized it.

"Like yours?" I asked her.

She focused on me. The gears of her brain turning at the information given.

"What color?" Was her question.

"Black blue." I answered. (Dark blue, Midnight blue to be specific...)

Serpent-san hissed and curled up around us. _Protecting us._

_Protecting us from what exactly?_

You are still too young, forget it for now, the voice told me. It was a sad voice.

_No... I need to know. I need to protect her, and Mother, Father and Takeshi. I have to protect them._

Why? You are but a child! There's no need for you to know, the voice thundered in my head.

_Because I need to! Let me protect them! What are you not telling me?!_

I will not let you know! Until there's a reason for you to, I will not allow it, the voice said. It had a tone of finality, it was not going to back out on its decision.

If I wanted to know. I needed to learn it by myself.

A hand grabbed onto mine. Maybe not by myself...  _Chiyo would be there._

* * *

The days passed.

Mother got better, no more crying and she was smiling a bit again. It was June again.

Chiyo was trying hard not to cry as the date approached again.

The 30th was like a beautiful and marvelous but also kind of unwanted date in our calendar.

It was Chiyo's birthday, she was two years old now, but it had also been the day she was left on our doorstep in the middle of the night.

Mother and Father had prepared a party. There were balloons and these paper things that dangled from the ceiling. Takeshi had invited two friends of his, and Elias and her family had been invited as well.

Chiyo had been dressed up for the occasion. A polka dot purple and white ruffled dress with white socks and light purple shoes, and a big bow on her head.

There were gold earrings on her ears and a hair clip styling her blond hair.

Elias was wearing a summer yellow dress with several black stripes, black leggings and yellow sneakers. All in all, she looked very much like a bee.

Mother had taken special pleasure in dressing me up to match Chiyo.

_Please don't make this a family tradition..._  Since we were closer of age, as we grew older our clothes started to have the same range of color. Normally only cold colors, purples, blues and greens for example.

I was wearing a white shirt with blue and green flowers embroidered in it, a pair of pastel purple shorts, white socks and blue shoes. My hair had been cut.

No, I am not kidding. Not even two days after the 'Incident involving Natsushi' n.º 5(actually, 50-something, but who's counting anyway?), my hair had been cut short.

Like not even long enough to need to be brushed. A tad closer to my scalp and I would have been bald.

Apparently it was punishment for me to have gotten lost like that, but secretly I felt it was as if they wanted to make sure I was not  _recognizable_  again by the blond man and the older guy.

Not that we needed to be careful. _Something inside me told me they would be gone for a long time._

Anyways, the party was actually fun.

There were presents, I got Chiyo a card, Takeshi got her a  _doll_  (I still don't know how he can be this unaware of the dangerous, code red, and impending doom feeling that Chiyo casted at everybody who crossed her), Elias and her family got her this huge puzzle (forty pieces) that made her face lit up.

Mother and Father got her a really cute yukata for the summer festival.

Actually Takeshi and Elias had been going on and on about the summer festival.

Takeshi had missed the last year festival because Mother and Father didn't want me and Chiyo to miss it, and only Elias had went.

Another thing Takeshi could frown at Elias for.

I seriously don't see what's the beef he and Elias have with each other. Really, I don't know.

Takeshi can be all smiley and happy go lucky, Elias suddenly enters the room, his smile is strained and he is purposely even avoiding to acknowledge her presence.

Weird big brother... Elias is nice and my eye-color-changing friend.

So the month ended really well, a few more weeks and then I will be two also.  _I seriously don't like being the youngest of the family._

* * *

July came as fast as I had hoped it did. But the sad part was that the festival came before my birthday. Guess I'll be going when I'm still a year old...

Mother had dressed Chiyo up in the cute yukata, and had decorated her hair with this flowery thingy, plus some sandals.

Takeshi was wearing a plain blue male yukata, Father wore a plain dark blue kimono and Mother was as stylishly dressed as Chiyo.

_Me?_

I was wearing a similar yukata to Chiyo's. Yep, it's becoming a family tradition to dress the two of us alike.

My yukata was as short as hers, and was green and flowery. My sandals were equal to hers and I had a flower pin in a sash around my waist.

Chiyo had one too.

The difference?

Her pin was a flower and was pinned in her right side. Mine was a bird and was pinned at me left side.

I had this deadpan look on my face when I looked myself over in the mirror. Like the kind of face you do when you have just given up on trying to make sense of something.

In this case, _I gave up on trying to understand the reason as to why I had to go through this._

I look at my side.

Chiyo was happy and was chatting a bit with Elias. Both of them were smiling.

Ah... Why bother? Mother was happy with the arrangements, Chiyo didn't mind sharing the uni-sex clothes and colors with me, so I sure as hell wasn't taking away their fun.

**_Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..._ **

I wonder who said that. Wait, how do I even know that phrase?

Father locked the door to the restaurant and we started to walk to the festival. Chiyo and I were holding hands. Elias was right behind us, she was the designated babysitter for tonight's outing, and her braided hair was tied in a bun on top of her head.

Unlike us, she was wearing a light patterned kimono and a plain yellow sash. Wooden sandals on her feet making the click-clack sound as she walked.

Takeshi was upset that he couldn't watch over us but apparently a six year old was more reliable than a five year old.

The festival stalls were amazing. Not like 'oh-look at this! So beautiful!', no it was amazing because we had never even  _been_  to a festival.

We saw Elias take us to several stalls and play a few games, but Chiyo and I were too young and way too focused on trying to look at everything to settle down and play a game.

Elias won a keychain, and the joy of it was lost on us. Why are you so happy?

And then we, as in me and Chiyo, met someone quite  _peculiar_.

"Where are your parents, herbivores?" A black haired and silver eyed boy asked us.

He was tall, as tall as Elias, and was holding this wooden things in his hands. Why he was talking to us?

We had left Elias behind after she was too focused on a game to notice us gone. I'm sorry, we just had to...

Chiyo and I were having fun walking around, always holding hands, when this kid comes out of nowhere and crashes right into us. We fall down and the kid starts yelling at us, when this black haired boy then shows up and beats, I repeat,  _beats_   _up_  the first kid.

The black haired boy then gets up, turns to us and asks us what we were doing there. Alone, at that.

Chiyo and me are just staring at him. This boy came out of nowhere and beat the living lights out of the rude kid that bumped into us. The two of us were not in a responsive state of mind to actually connect to reality until the boy had already repeated the question two more times and was now staring us down.

Now, you think that the two of us were so scared we started crying or something, right?

Wrong. And  _worse_...

We stared back at him, totally unfazed by what we had seen and the pressure and killing intent he was leaking. (Personally, Younger Chiyo was worse...)

Why was this bad?  _Because I had the_ undeniable _feeling that I had just made a_ terrible _mistake_.

"What are your names?" The boy asked.

"Yamamoto Natsushi, age 2." I answered. So what if there was still a week until my birthday?

"Ritsushima Chiyo, age 2." Chiyo answered beside me.

"Hn, why are you alone?" The boy asked.

"We wen' explorin'!" I answered proudly.

"By yourselves?" He asked.

The two of us nodded.

"More fun!" Chiyo told him. Her head held firmly and her gaze unwavering. She felt that killing intent, and unlike me (who automatically ignored it, I swear Chiyo will be the end of me one day...) Chiyo saw this as a personal challenge.

The boy's eyes narrowed at Chiyo and I positioned myself slightly ahead of her. My smile never faltered and I rose my head to face him.

_He looked awfully familiar..._

"Baby carnivores..." He muttered.

"What's a car-carni... carnivur?" I asked. My pronunciation was the worst.

"Carnivore." The boy automatically corrected, "It's the title of a strong person. Only the strongest have it."

"Then, we are carnivories?" Chiyo asked. Her pronunciation was only slightly better off than mine.

"Carnivores. And no, you are not." The boy answered, before he gazed back at us and smirked, " ** _Yet_**..."

Then he turned his back on us and went on with his merry life.

It was only later that night when I remembered I forgot to ask him his name.

It was years later that I would regret our first little face-off and our strange acquaintance (still way too long off to be called relationship or knowing each other).

But it is still way too early for that.

After all...  _I am simply a two year old._


	14. Part I - Chapter 13

The festival ended with Chiyo and I being reprimanded by Elias (who thankfully found us first), then we were given cotton candy to keep us busy until we went back home. Takeshi played several other games as well and won a goldfish.

It was a cute fish, but with Chiyo and I in the house he wouldn't last. Even if we  _tried_  to avoid the fish, I was certain that sooner or latter we would bump into the fish bowl. Besides we already have serpent-san, why would we need another pet?

Anyways, the summer festival was great, we had fun and when we saw the fireworks it was amazing.

Let's fast forward a bit, I turned two. My birthday party was (surprise, surprise) sushi themed. My cake was amazing, so tasty...

And after that, Grandfather had this brilliant idea. How about we (the kids of the house) spent a weekend in grandfather and grandmother's hometown? It's only four hours away by train and we would be completely safe.

Father, somehow, managed to convince Mother into letting us go. So me, Chiyo and Takeshi were sitting on the train enjoying the ride when I see the scenery outside change. The big buildings and streets slowly started to look more and more old and spaced out, until the city ended and we were in the country side.

_Oh, yeah... Don't our grandparents live in this old village?_

So, the four hour ride was not bad, Chiyo and I mostly fell asleep halfway through a story and Takeshi was entertained talking with Grandfather about baseball. He knew a lot, so I understood Takeshi's misconception that Grandfather was a baseball player.

Grandfather was actually a simple shop clerk along with Grandmother. What he knew from baseball was from his youth and from books that he got from several clients that had children that were enthusiasts of the sport. Grandmother told us that, in whispers, and the light warmth inside me frowned when he told us that.

_Well, it's not like it's a big deal. I mean, Takeshi wouldn't mind when he grows older._

When we finally arrived at their hometown I was... very self-conscious.

Everybody in the village  _stared_  at me. Like, I would look around and see people running off to go call someone else to stare at me. Like I was some sort of circus exhibition.

I was not very happy right now. Chiyo was starting to go rigid with anger. Takeshi was just plain confused.

Grandmother ushered us out of this scene and into the shop but it still didn't stop the gawking. Only now, they had to walk in the store to look at me.

I heard Grandfather bring someone into the back store and Grandmother closing the store door. Which was always opened and had this bell thingy on top, while the back room was a storage room. So why would Grandfather bring someone in there?

I signaled Chiyo. Takeshi was taking a nap, to sleep off the tiredness of the ride, but Chiyo and I were wide awake. And  _highly agitated._

**_Something was off here._ **

We sprawled over the upstairs floor and began to crawl over to the stairs. The house and stairs were creaky and we had never been there before but we, in the passing months, had learned more and more about being silent.

Moving silently was now  _easier_  than actually making noise with our feet. Knowing the weakest parts of the floor and the oldest were like picking oranges out of a basket that had apples mixed in.

Father seemed to know this because he  _smirked_  quite often when he caught us entering the kitchen to grab a towel or something to take back.

Safe to say, I actually made it upstairs. But Mother was in the hallway when I went to go back down and got caught.

Okay, now let's get back on track.

So, Chiyo and I made it downstairs without being seen or heard, and we noticed that the back room's door was barely open, but had barrels of grain or something beside it. We could hide behind them and try to push open the door a tad bit to hear what's inside.

Chiyo and I hid quickly and with our breaths held in, we pushed the door a bit.

"Kimura-san, this is a miracle!  _Your son_!  **It**  has to be your son!" A male voice was the first thing we heard.

There was excitement in that voice. But also there was a tone that made the two of us feel dirty. Greed. Envy. Something like that...

_I didn't like that tone._

"Mariko assures me that he is not. He just looks alike to him." Grandfather answered the man.

"But, Kimura-san, there is a possibility! Think about it!" The man's voice persisted.

"Tanaka-san, our family appreciates the support your family has given our own, but this is not a matter that involves us. Mariko and her husband are his parents, it's their decision." Grandmother said in a quiet but firm voice.

"Mariko and her husband will never allow him to know! But think of the  ** _profit_**!" Tanaka-san said. His voice had that tone deeper into in.

_Profit? What were they talking about? I was no_ product _to be sold!_  Chiyo looked as disgusted as me. Serpent-san curled around us tighter.

"Tanaka-san! Natsushi is our grandson! How could you refer to him like that!" Grandmother raised her voice a bit, the displeasure in her tone made it clear she was not happy.

"Grandson or not, They would  _pay_  to  _have_  him! If he is Natsume, then he is worth  ** _thousands_**!" Tanaka-san said with a slight slur in his voice.

I gripped onto Chiyo.  _What are they talking about?_

My disgust was turning into terror quite rapidly. I could be worth thousands? Worth? Like I was a piece of meat?

"TANAKA! Their names are not to be spoken in this house! And they will not take my  _son_  again from me!" Grandfather's voice rose and we heard the sound of wood scraping against the floor. He had gotten up forcefully from a chair.

"Sorry, sorry. But if they find out..." Tanaka started to reply.

"They will not find out then." Grandmother interrupted.

"The child could be worth a fortune. Money that you desperately need for this store to last." Tanaka said.

_I was feeling sick. I didn't want to hear anymore, but I wasn't moving._

"Money will come. But I will not sell my grandson to those bastards." Grandfather told the man.

"What if the child chooses to?" Tanaka asks.

"What?" Grandmother says.

"What if you told the boy the truth and let him choose?" Tanaka asked with a sly smile.

"He has no need to know." Grandfather answered.

"Because you are worried that he will leave like Natsume?" Tanaka asked with that wheedling smile still on his face.

"Natsume made his decision. A decision  _forced_  out of him." Grandfather answered. There was a simmering fury visible underneath his tone.

His presence was flickering.  _Unstable_. And  **angry**.

"Oh? I thought he was  _bought_? Wasn't Natsume  _sixteen_  when he left?" Tanaka slyly told our grandparents, " **Bought by the Ninth of Vongola?** "

There was the sickening sound of flesh roughly meeting flesh, and a thud on the ground before Grandfather's yell shook the whole house.

" _DO NOT SAY THE NAME OF THAT MURDERER! GET OUT!_ " Grandfather bellowed, " _YOU DARE TO DISRESPECT NATSUME'S MEMORY?!_ "

I was shocked. I was frightened and panicking. My breath was stuck in my throat and I couldn't move.

My eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. Chiyo was hugging me and trembling. She was scared also.

That name.  ** _Vongola_**.

It was familiar.  _It brought fear to us._

_Why?_  Why was it scary?  _Who was the Ninth?_

Forget you ever heard this conversation, the voice from before told me.

_No!_  Answer _me! Who is he?! What is Vongola?!_

I will not tell you! It will only bring more danger to yourself and to your family, the voice thundered.

_Why? If_  I  _do not know how can I protect them?_

There is no need for you to protect them! Just be a child and forget this ever happened, the voice told me.

Then it faded out.

_It was not fair. Why did everybody know something I didn't?_  Why do they look at me like they're seeing a ghost?

I was not a ghost, right? I was not Natsume.

That was impossible.  _Unrealistic._

_But then why did I see him inside of my head?_

* * *

We were not seen or heard getting back upstairs. Takeshi had not woken up and we pretended we had not witnessed that. That Tanaka person was thrown out and he didn't return again.

Grandfather took us to a river the next day. It did not go well...

You see, this river was not very deep, nor it was wide. So, it had an old bridge for people to cross over the river. Now me, already shaken from yesterday's event,  _froze_  at the sight of it.

Grandfather mistook my  _fear_  for  _hesitation_  and promptly picked me up and  _carried_ me to the bridge. Where he then stood  **me  **up on the rails, always with his hand around my waist, but that was enough to make me look down at the  _ **shallow**  _and  _ **rocky**  _river and blank out.

When I regained awareness I was lying on the mattress Chiyo and I shared on the floor, with Chiyo beside me looking very ashen colored and I had a wet towel on my forehead.

Apparently I had an  _episode_. I started to scream, in an agonizing, bloodcurdling way, that made Grandfather jump in fright. Then I started to puke and finally I blacked out.

The village clinic said I had a panic attack but me being so small just blacked out before the worst could happen.

Chiyo had started screaming after I blacked out and had refused to let go of me. She was still shaking when I came to and that only made me feel worse.

_So I didn't tell her..._

_I_ wanted  _to. But I_  couldn't...

I wanted to tell her the overwhelming fear, pure and untainted fear, that coursed through my body in those short moments before I was back in the endless darkness.

_I felt air passing me. Like I was_   **falling**.  _And then_   **pain**   _and_   _fear_.

But what made me cringe was the fact that there was this voice calling, no...  _screaming my name._

My name? No. It was someone else's name... It had to be.

_After all, my name is Natsushi._

* * *

We returned home early. It was a trip I did not want to repeat. Grandfather apologized profoundly that he did not know I was scared of water.

Now, I was not scared of water. I could take a bath well enough. I could see water and be alright, the problem laid between two important barriers.

**1.**  If it was more that a few centimeters deep,  _like deep as a pool_ , then it was a big no-no.

**2.**  I could see it, but don't even dare try to  _make me go in_. I'm fine on the sidelines, thank you very much.

Chiyo didn't care. She was just glad I was alright and well. Mother fussed over me the rest of the day and Father looked at me with calculating eyes.

Takeshi, being the big caring brother he was, fussed over me like Mother did.

So that was how my second summer went. Then autumn began. The colors changed as much as our house.

I had fun playing with Chiyo outside. Mostly we tried to catch the falling red leaves. I had a peculiar  _affinity_  to catching them when I was still underneath it. Chiyo was more violent, and therefore took longer to catch one.

She did catch them. But for each leaf she caught, I had three more.

Then, since we were both being potty trained (devil's work) our crib was no longer needed. So Mother got a low bed for Chiyo.  _ **Me**_? I was now sleeping in Takeshi's room in a bunk bed we now shared.

I called dibs on the bottom bunk, immediately after I caught sight of it. For reasons I will later name.

My previous room went from being white and beige to purple and pink, the theme of her bedroom was also a tad girlish but mostly plain. My new bedroom was divided. Half was baseball themed and the other was sea themed.

Yeah, laugh all you want, the sea is great. I will probably never get  _near_  it, but I can appreciate it.  _ **Besides I like fish.**_

I had this blue curtain covering the bottom bunk so I light from the window couldn't wake me up, I also had privacy since they would need to lift the curtain or open it to see me inside.

I had a private part of the wall to myself and I could attach things on the wooden surface above me. The wall I had was directly opposite to Chiyo's so if she knocked on the wall I would hear on my side.

_We now needed a knocking code..._

Then my room had a shelf and a desk. Both of which would have to be shared between me and Takeshi, Chiyo only had a shelf in her room as she didn't really need a desk anyway.

Then the playroom underwent changes too. The more babyish games were gone. A wall, going from one side to another, was now only tagged boxes with the names of the things inside it, be it building blocks and legos to pens and pencils without their respective boxes.

There was a big table in the center of the playroom, a kotatsu actually, where Chiyo and I did our puzzles or played with out other toys. There was also a television and a game console Takeshi had asked for, but Chiyo and I paid it no attention.

My wind-chime was now hanging from the ceiling, near the door which was opened now fully so Chiyo and I could play outside when we wanted to.

My appointments with Dr. Einar now included Chiyo and we spent that time talking a bit and playing games. Sometimes Elias would show up and we'd have a good time.

Oh, and Mother got us these boxes. These special boxes that we made.

One for me and one for Chiyo. We had to paint them too, but we had to paint each other's, so Chiyo painted mine and I painted hers. It was nice because the two of us knew each other pretty well. And was such, we knew the other's favorite things.

I painted Chiyo's dark blue all around with a purple lid that had red and pink flowers with blue leaves. Don't ask me why, it seemed appropriate.

Chiyo painted mine with being green, blue and purple all around. Then the lid was orange and she drew swirls on the lid with every other possible color.

Mother then made this tags with our names, they were plastic covered so they couldn't be ripped off. Mine had sushi rolls decorating it, while Chiyo's had horses and music notes.

_A strange combination..._

Takeshi pulled a tantrum and said that he wanted one too so he and Father made a white box with baseballs decorating it. I was sure to draw wavy blue lines on the lid.

Another thing happened in autumn. There was this day when Chiyo and I woke up overjoyed and bursting with energy. Elias had been the same so we assumed it was something to do with our common condition.

I didn't think it would happen again, but nonetheless I scribbled the date on a piece of paper (in truth I had Father do it) and placed that paper inside my box with my treasures.

**18th of August.**  Why was that date important?

* * *

Elias had a recital. She had playing the violin for a while now and she now had a recital. Her parents were too busy at the hospital to go see it so it was just her grandma and her.

That was, of course, until she asked if Chiyo and I could go. She actually asked Takeshi if he wanted to come too, but brother refused. So now Chiyo and I were dressed rather formally and were sitting in the chairs of the theater to see the recital.

Chiyo was wearing a white dress with flowers and birds, white shoes and mismatched socks— one pink and one green (left foot and right foot respectively). I was wearing a white shirt with tan shorts, black shoes and mismatched socks. One green and one pink.

That was a normal occurrence in the house now. Since Chiyo and I shared quite a lot of things Mother often made us share clothes. I was taller than her but not by a lot, at least for now, and she was not so girly as to not wear baggy clothes. But the temporary spats and hair pulling that ensued every time I found her wearing one of my favorite outfits was downright scary.

Serpent-san actually ignored us. Mostly because it was not a bloodlust fight and we had no desire to harm the other. Just to make the other drop the piece of clothing.

Anyways, Chiyo and I were there sitting and waiting for Elias to start playing when her grandma, who was a lovely lady by the way, started explaining the instruments that were already on stage because they were too big for the children to carry them.

There was the cello, the black smooth piano and a harp. Elias' grandma was even kind enough to ask us if we wanted to, after the recital, go up close to the instruments.

We agreed on the spot. She laughed and asked us what instrument we preferred.

" _ **Cello**_!" I answered with a smile.

" _ **Harp**_!" Chiyo answered.

The grandma was surprised. Not only had both of us chosen a string instrument, we had actually automatically chosen a known duet combination. Then after going over her surprise she looked rather  _delighted_.

We had unknowingly just made some sort of agreement with Elias' grandma, a retired music teacher, that we'd like to learn to play two instruments that she had played or knew someone who played them.

It was a rather quiet and interesting recital. Around twenty kids were participating, and it goes without saying that Chiyo and I were more focused on the cello and harp players than the rest.

This was a two part recital. The first part was a series of individual performances, while the second part was a group performance.

Elias was one of the middle performers, the cello player (a girl with two black pigtails) was the third of the line and the harp player (another girl with her hair in a bun) was one of the last.

Elias played the violin very well. Her grandma told us that she was playing a swedish folk song that she had taught her, and she was wearing a dark red dress with a yellow sash and a pair of red shoes. Her hair was loose and it ran past her shoulders, and there was a hair clip in her bangs to make sure there was no hindrance to her sight.

The song was nice, it entranced me as much as the cello had. Chiyo was still waiting for the harp but she too agreed that Elias played the instrument well.

Now we just had to wait for the first part to end. We could barely wait to go up there and see the instruments up close.

* * *

Special  **Omake**  for Koneko, my Beta! You can thank her later!

**~Chiyo and the Plan~**

I was honestly surprised it took as long as it did for Chiyo to finally plan a payback on Takeshi. After two years of him constantly commenting on her, obvious, female cuteness and ' _adorable_ ' reactions, I was astonished that she hadn't commit massive destruction on our house.

Anyways, Takeshi was off to baseball practice and Mother and Father were working on the restaurant. The two of us were in the playroom, sitting at the table, with crayons and a big paper in front of us as ' _we_ ' started devising a plan.

Now I say ' _we_ ' because I was sure to be blamed for this no matter what, if only by association, and therefor I might as well take some pleasure and pride out of this. Secondly, because I was the best planner out of the two of us (three if you count Elias). Not that Chiyo would have let me sit this one out, she literally flipped the box of legos I was playing with and dragged me to the table after she found out that I was not going to do this.

Poor legos... and little old me.

So, back on track. The plan was to scare Takeshi out of his wits (" _What_  wits?", was Chiyo's comment about that) by, supposedly, hide all of his baseball prized possessions. Namely his baseball collection of trading cards.

The plan was fairly simple and easy to accomplish. The problem was that I was  _trying_  to talk Chiyo out of flushing them down the drain.

"Why not?" Chiyo asked with an annoyed tone of voice.

"Because Takeshi likes them!" I told her.

" _And_?"

"Chiyo... Please, just once..." I pleaded.

"You'll owe me one." Chiyo said.

I paused my plea. I would owe Chiyo one if I did not let her flush down Takeshi's cards?

"Terms?" I asked with extreme caution. I was  _ **so**  _going to regret this...

"No mortal danger, no immediate punishment and to be called at any time."

So I wasn't going to face Mother, I was not going to bust into the Kitchen, I could possibly be called upon to take 'Time-out' for her at any given time.

"Only one favor, right?" I asked.

"Yes." Chiyo nodded.

Oh, Takeshi, you are going to owe me one so bad.

"Fine. I owe you one." I told her with maximum levels of exasperation.

"Great, so you are going to make this happen!" She told me gleefully.

I blinked. Oh, hell...

_Did I just get tricked into flushing down Takeshi's cards anyways?!_

My palms met my face with a loud smack. Why, cruel life? Why?

The little happy hums coming from Chiyo as she continued to draw more and more of little chicken scratches (read: Chiyo's handwriting, I'm not kidding, please do!) made me imagine a witch cooking some deviously evil potion on her cauldron.

"Maybe she really is a witch... that's why she doesn't like Elias, 'cuz she's a fairy." I muttered.

The aura of evil covered me. I looked over my shoulder.

Her strawberry blond bob hair cut looked like Medusa's hair for a moment there, and in her shadowed face only her violently flashing pink eyes could be seen.

Oh,  _busted_...

"Hehe... Sorry?" I tried. My smiled must've looked a very sickly version of a sheepish smile, as one of her eye brows rose.

"Go work." She told me.

I did not need to be told twice. Putting my speed to the test I fled the scene and went kidnap Takeshi's cards.

If you're wondering about the aftermath, let's just say that Takeshi got the scare of his lifetime (so far...), Mother put me on time-out for a week and Father had spent the rest of the day laughing at me. And making unwanted comments on how women really did rule men's lives.

Chiyo was not the boss of me! I did this because I wanted to!

_Right?_

**...**

Guys... right? I totally did, 'kay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, the song Elias played is called Trasklåt, you can see it on youtube if you search it, of course it is played on the violin.
> 
> So, now our two trouble making two year olds are now interested in music. Natsushi prefers the Cello, while Chiyo prefers the Harp. This is actually product of my great search about children and instruments put together, also it's a great hobby to those who don't want to be professionals at it.
> 
> About the choice of instruments. At first I thought piano for Natsu, but then we already have Gokudera playing it. And when I searched about duet pairings on classical music the harp and cello popped up. One word. Amazing.
> 
> It's a good combination too, Natsushi being quite soft and calm but also sharp and unexpected like a thunderstorm.
> 
> Now, the harp is a rather big and intimidating instrument at first but it has a soft melody to it. Like Chiyo, it can deceive people into believing a false impression.


	15. Part I - Chapter 14

In the break between the two parts of the recital, Elias, Chiyo and I goofed a bit around.

Her grandma was taking photographs of us in the waiting room while trying to, unsuccessfully, talk quietly on the cell phone without losing sight of us.  _Guess she heard about our little escapades..._

Elias was beaming with happiness as she babbled about the recital. There were sparkles around her and her eyes shone, even more so when Chiyo and I told her that we might like to try and play instruments ourselves. It was funny how Elias could make everything seem so much more cheerful when she was happy.

_Like a sun, she brightens up a room with a single smile..._

I smiled a bit when I thought that. It was a nice feeling. Like the sun inside of the Prairie, she was just so warm,  _inviting_. There was something inside of her that made my worries slowly ebb away.

Not like Chiyo. Chiyo's presence made me feel protected, not to mention there was the feeling of sureness that she held herself with. Like nothing could ever harm us. She would  _destroy_  everything that ever tried to.

The other kids and parents in the room looked curiously at Chiyo and I as we stood near Elias. I guess we made an odd trio. That or how Chiyo and I walked, talked or just generally acted. It's strange how I never noticed Chiyo always stood by my right or how she was never more than a step behind me when I walked.

And there wasn't anything in this world that would make that change.

If I took a breath Chiyo would too. Like a mirror image, Chiyo and I were like two droplets of water. So similar, made of the same stuff, but at the same time different. And we were part of a bigger picture than we thought.

How big that picture was never seemed clear to us. Sometimes it was just an important lesson. Other times, it was a war made of impossible dreams.

_**We were so innocent and ignorant back then, weren't we?** _

* * *

I wasn't a fool. Nor was I stupid or unobservant. I noticed all too quickly that no child got close to Elias. There were some that just didn't care, some who ignored she was there, but the worse of all... There were those who taunted and whispered behind her back.

I was startled at first when I heard them whisper. Unkind words and comments made with a mocking tone. They spoke in low tones but the high pitched voices of children and the inability to keep things a secret made them still audible. Spreading like wild fire, I witnessed kids going from group to group whispering about her. Those who had ignored her smiled or giggled quietly but, thankfully, there were those who frowned and turned their backs on them.

The girl with pigtails and the one with her hair in a bun turned their backs but the other people they had been talking to either giggled or joined in on the taunts.

I felt cold ice in my stomach. For some reason there's was this  _unease_ , this  _pain_ , this  _ **fear**  _about these taunts. I shook a bit before Chiyo had her hand in mine. A determined glint in those big and sharp pink eyes made me smile at her. It was bit shaky and small, but she nodded at me. Her hand gripped tighter onto mine.

_'You are not alone. Nothing will happen while we are here.'_

It made my heart calm down from it's frightened state and into one of annoyed possessiveness. No one should ever  _dare_  to mock Elias!

A small burst of purple resolve made my eyes darken. Green electric shocks made Chiyo jump a bit, these when unnoticed by all except Elias and Chiyo. They gazed at me with blazing eyes, bright yellow and deep midnight blue, and smiled.

Or grinned in Chiyo's case.

There was a silent moment that was broken by a bell ringing.

"The second part of our show is about to start. Participants, please get ready backstage, family members, please return to your seats."

Elias' grandmother gave her a hug and a good luck wish before taking our hands and leading us back to our seats. I waved Elias a goodbye and she smiled. A girl behind her frowned and a few others mock gagged.

My eyes darkened again. I was not happy.

* * *

I was quite impatient while I was sitting in my seat. I was fidgeting and Chiyo glanced at me before turning her attention back to the stage. They had been playing for about two minutes before I had had enough of the blatant bullying Elias was receiving.

Back in the break room they didn't specifically do anything to her, but on stage?

Her chair was being kicked by a girl behind her while the two girls on either side of her were rudely making it almost impossible for her to see the music score. And no one did anything to stop it.

The man leading the music, the 'Maestro', had to be blind. He just  _had_  to be. There was no way in hell he didn't see that happening. Furthermore I could see their lips move all the way back in my seat.

I couldn't hear what they were saying but the uncomfortable air around Elias grew denser. Heavier.

_Sadder..._

I felt this anger pool inside me, like a serpent coiling and ready to strike with enough viciousness to take down an elephant. Serpent-san was with Chiyo but instead of looking angry, Chiyo looked oddly thoughtful. Her brows were furrowed in a slight irritation but not much else.

Elias grandmother was unaware of this abuse either. She had her eyes focused on the whole recital band, a small smile making my heart hurt.

This was her dream, for her granddaughter to play in an orchestra. And just her luck, Elias was having to deal with this bullying. But why?

"What did Elias  _do_...?" I muttered.

"Foreign." Chiyo answered.

"What?" I asked confused, her eyes never strayed from the stage.

"They being mean because she foreign." Chiyo clarified.

"How do you know?" I asked, my irritation only growing.

"Seth told me. He's listening to them." Chiyo answered.

"Who's Seth?" I asked.

She didn't even look at me, merely pointed her thumb to Serpent-san.

Serpent-san, Seth?, flicked his tongue at me. I blinked.

"Why Seth?" I asked.

"Dunno. It's his name, he picked it." Chiyo answered.

Seth hissed at me. The kind of ' _Be quiet_ ' hiss.

"What are they saying?" I asked in a whisper.

"They call Elias names and talk about family." Chiyo answered in an equally low voice.

"Why?" I asked, clearly confused.

"'Cuz they think Elias doesn't belong here." Was her answer.

"Why? Just because she was not born in Japan?" I asked, taken aback.

"Yes," Chiyo told me, brows furrowed and an angry gleam finally entered her eyes, "They say she has no friends at that her parents don't want her."

_What?!_

I did not ask anything else due to being worried for Chiyo. No wonder she was angry now, considering her family background...

Seth hissed once and Chiyo stiffened.

"What?" I asked immediately.

"They are going to make her mess up. They are going to push her chair and make her lose balance." Chiyo told me.

My eyes widened. How could they? What had Elias ever done to them? And during a recital? In front of everybody? Why were they trying to embarrass her this much?

_Can people really be that cruel?_

_'A-...! What are you wearing? Your grandmother's sweater?'_

_'Hey look! Look! A-... can't even run three laps around the gym!'_

_'Why are you even here? You should just die!'_

My head started to hurt. My chest felt heavy and all at once this strange haze made my head spin. My eyes clouded and could barely see anything. I leaned back in the chair and put a hand on my forehead.

Burning hot.

I felt sick. I wanted to find some cool air. But the voices kept going, taunts that made me feel guilty and heavy and strangely  _empty_.

_'A-... are you really that much of an embarrassment?'_

_'No wonder her parents haven't got the time for her.'_

**_'Who'd want such an useless child?'_ **

_'Why is she even here? Can't she just crawl under a rock and stay there?'_

Why? Why are they saying such things?

_'Heh, little A-... thought she could win that talent show. Too bad for her, huh?'_

_'The paper pieces were scattered everywhere, not even one page of her story was still intact.'_

Images of paper being shredded flashed before my eyes. Like a camera rolling in a film it had flaws and made me certain I was just imagining what had happened.

_' Did you hear? A-... Grandparents died this week! That's why she's not here.'_

_'Oh, just her grandparents? Why couldn't she go with them?'_

_'Yeah, besides, the old bats probably had it coming. Didn't you know?'_

_'What?'_

_'Apparently her grandfather was a really big pain in the ass for my big brother and his gang, always making a big ruckus.'_

_'Ah! Seriously? What the hell?!'_

Sadness and this feeling of emptiness just got heavier and heavier. Breathing was becoming hard, my eyes blinked a few times to try and make my hazy vision go back to normal.

It was just like back in Elias' house. Was I sick again?

**_'You are slipping...'_ **

I jerked awake. When had I fallen asleep? I looked around to see clapping and people standing up. Chiyo was looking at me worriedly. I looked on stage to Elias bowing with a wide smile on her face.

"Seth made sure they wouldn't try anything." Chiyo told me.

I sighed in relief.

"What happened to you? You blacked out." Chiyo asked, worry in her eyes and words.

"I don't know." Was my only response.

I could still hear echoes of those last words.

_You are slipping... What did it mean?_

Slipping from where? And why?

"Elias' grandma is going to take us backstage in a bit. Can you walk?" Chiyo asked me.

"Yeah, walking will help." I answered.

The echoes would not fade. My heart shuddered and I felt cold.

_What was going on?_

* * *

Backstage was crowded. We found Elias quite easily and we both hugged her, I hoped she wouldn't notice my hot forehead and flushed face too much. I looked on stage to see the cello and harp still there. I gazed at the cello in particular.

Grandma talked a bit with a man nearby, I belatedly realized it was the Maestro, before calling us to her. She gave us a few words of warning before shooing us onto the stage.

Chiyo leaped the last step and skipped to the harp, I did not miss the way she kept an eye on me, or how Seth was following me instead of her.

Such a worrywart.

I walked calmly to the cello. It was bigger than me, so was the harp in comparison to Chiyo, and dark brown. The bow was placed neatly beside it, ready to be used for another song.

My eyes looked longingly at it for a bit before I reached my hand to touch the cello's body. Just as my fingertips brushed against it my sight went blank.

Everything vanished and I could only hear my heartbeat for a very scary moment.

_The there was applause._

I blinked.

My sight returned but I was not expecting to see what I did. Well, not ' _I_ ' per say. I saw but I could only do that.  _See_.

I had no control. This was not  _me_...  _It couldn't be._

Words were said in a language I could not name nor could I understand.

There was a stage in front of me, I was in the audience, with a woman singing while an orchestra played. Her voice was magnificent.

Wavy brown hair wearing a very adorned and studded vibrant red dress. Words were spoken to ' _me_ ' and I looked to my side. I saw a girl. A teenager with long  _pink_  hair and purple pink eyes. She was wearing a rich white dress and boots. Her eyes looked at me softly and she said something else.

A voice answered her back, this one with a deeper timbre to it, which made her smile. She had a very lovely smile.

_So much like Chiyo's..._

I turned back to the orchestra, but soon looked down at my palm. A  **locket**  laid in it. Made of silver and gold, an  _emblem_  was carved in the front. A blue gem was right in the middle of it, shaped like a teardrop.

The thumb opened the locket. There was something written in bronze in it. But I couldn't read it, while on the other part of it there was...  _a piece of paper_.

The finger reached down to grab it but before it opened and I could see it, I felt a pull.

_**'You are slipping...'** _

My eyes widened and I lurched back. Right into Chiyo who had been standing behind me. My breathing was ragged and I swayed in my feet. My head was killing me.

Elias called her grandma with a very scared tone of voice, her hand was on my forehead for a moment before she pulled it back, her eyes wide and her mouth opened in shock.

_I guess my fever worsened?_

* * *

To say I was sick was an understatement. I was sick in the hospital, under medical supervision because I had a fever of 43.5 and it was not going down. I was exhausted but no one was letting me sleep for more than an hour before I was woken up to see if I was still okay.

Father was sitting by my bedside, he had told Mother to take Chiyo and Takeshi home so they could rest and eat, she had not been happy but conceded to the point. So it was only me and my Father.

I opened my tired eyes and gazed at him. He looked older than his age with his weary eyes and brows furrowed in concern. I tried to reach for him but I was all but tied to the bed.

I mumbled something incomprehensible and he looked at me, startled to see me awake.

"What are you doing up? You should rest, little guy," Father said.

"Don' wan' to..." My voice croaked out.

He huffed before petting my head in an affectionate gesture. A few strands of hair trickled with static and followed Father's hand. His eyes showed equal sides of marvel and fear.

"Oh, my poor boy..." He whispered, "Such a fate you have. To always live with the shadow of fear over you."

I blinked tiredly at him before sighing.

"Why? No one says..."

"You are too young. I'm not going to tell you," Father answered, "Not yet."

"Was it Nats'me?" I asked.

Father didn't say anything but his eyes softened and became sadder.

"You want to know about him?" Father asked me.

"Yes." I answered with a yawn.

He smiled at me, indulgently, before huffing a laugh.

"Then get better. When you get out of here, I'll tell you." Father told me.

"Promise?" I asked.

"I promise. And a true man never breaks his promises." Father told me.

I nodded my head before closing my eyes and returning to sleep.

* * *

The energetic green blaze sent pulses over to the main core. The still sleeping purple nudged a bit and became more aware, but it refused to awake. the calm blue soothed the energetic green and started to stretch.

A lone blaze sat locked away, sealed, far within the core. Hidden. Unaware of what was going on.

Still asleep after so many years of dormant inaction.

* * *

Blue eyes gazed at the sky, the summer air around the figure made his dark hair flutter.

"He is still too young... Please, just give him more time..." The figure begged.

Nothing answered back.

"Why? Why must he be cursed by this forsaken power?  _Why do you do this?!_ "

Silence remained.

_"He is nothing more than a child!"_

Unknown to the figure, a shadow was standing not too far from there. It watched with unseen eyes for a moment longer, before turning away and returning to where it had come from.

In darkness a lone pendant laid, untouched, forgotten by Time itself. Six others were around it.

All of which blazed with flames of power stronger than any other human had ever witnessed.


	16. Part I - Chapter 15

I was in the hospital for longer than I anticipated. First the doctor said I was going to be there for a few days but that soon became two weeks. Why?

I had a relapse. My fever went down one day and skyrocketed the next. This went on for another two days before it finally subsided. Mother was looking so sad and worried that it made my heart break. It hurt knowing you caused someone else pain. Chiyo was too young to visit me in the hospital so she was being babysat by Elias' family (she was going to kill me when I got better), so only Takeshi and my parents could enter my room.

Hearing my brother talk about baseball all day was not my idea of an afternoon well-spent but sometimes his presence was all I really needed. He taught me a few games and we made a small puzzle. He didn't get just why it was fun and was often looking at the pieces weirdly when they didn't fit.

_It made me smile._

Takeshi was just too cute sometimes, and he made me feel like I was the oldest of the two when he pouted and whined about the puzzle being wrong. But when I sighed and helped him put it right, he'd smile at me and laugh. That warm and caring laugh he always had when he told me I was his genius little brother. The same laughter that only came out when around family.

Not even his friends had ever heard this laugh of his. I wondered why, sometimes, but a childish part of me made me realized that I didn't really want him to laugh like that to just anyone. Just family was fine. He was my big and goofy brother.

Who had a questionable danger-sensor that seemed to either be missing or malfunctioning.

September was cold. And I knew that winter would be a lot more colder. Maybe the weather was getting worse over the years? Dunno.

My room had another bed in it but it was empty for now. I felt somewhat lonely when Father and Mother both had to leave and leave me there alone, normally with only a nurse as company.

There were a few games on top of the table that slid over to my bed, so I wouldn't be bored, and there was this button I could press when I wanted the nurse.

I'm sure they expected me to always be pressing it because when I did not do so, after two hours or so of being alone, they kept randomly popping up to check on me. There were a few nurses who were quite nice and kind to me. There was a nurse called Mori Ayaka, that insisted I called her Aya-nee.

After the fiftieth time she asked I ended up obliging to her request. Father and Mother found it cute when I told them, but I felt very unsure. Like, I really wasn't used to treating people so familiarly. I never called Takeshi nii-chan before, but when he heard about this incident, he wanted to be called that.

Or how Father asked to be called ' _papa_ ' and Mother ' _mama_ '. I often just kept quiet so I never really had called them anything other than what I called them inside of my head. Father goofed around that I would have to call Chiyo nee-chan, since she  _was_  older than me.

I frowned at that. It was a sore point for me.

Anyways, I still had another week in the hospital left to go, when there was a commotion outside. There were nurses who came in and started to get the other bed in the room ready to receive a patient.

_Guess I was getting a roommate?_

* * *

It was an odd meeting.

The white haired boy I was sharing the hospital room with was six years old, and he was covered in bandages. He has a younger sister, who came in with her family, that's a year younger than him. So, she's the same age as Takeshi.

The girl was sobbing and acting distressed and she made her brother swear he wouldn't fight ever again. The boy promised her that he wouldn't fight unless he had to. Because he had to be an ' _extreme_ ' older brother.

_Also, he was a_ very _loud roommate..._

I was so quiet that they didn't actually notice I was there, as they were so preoccupied with him, until I sneezed. A nurse immediately came over and checked my temperature, while I glared at the thermometer, before saying that there was nothing wrong.

They were shocked to see me in the room, like I had simply appeared all of a sudden, before the little girl started telling the boy to be very quiet while he stayed in the hospital. To not bother me and to be sure to look after me, since I was so little.

Aya-nee then had the brilliant idea of asking Ryohei, the boy's name, if he wanted to be an older brother to me while I stayed there. The boy happily obliged. There was this aura of brightness around him, similar to Elias.

Actually it was a lot like Elias.  _Please tell me they don't have the same type of personalities..._

After his family left we were left in silence for about... three seconds. I give him that much, before he bursted into questions and jokes and small talk as he hopped (he had a cast on his leg) over to my bed.

I was quiet for a long while until my shyness melted away. I opened up a little and answered him a few questions. It was strange at how easily I opened up but then again... that brightness of his just made him so easy to talk to.

He was as dense as my brother and as cheerful as him and Elias combined. Elias would probably have a blast meeting him. He showed me the stitched wound he had on his forehead (it was  _definitely_  going to scar) before telling me how it all happened.

So he was in the first year of elementary school (like Elias) while his sister, Kyoko, was still in preschool, the same as Takeshi. There were these bigger kids, in middle school he thought, that didn't really like him. So, since they wanted to teach him a lesson, they lured Kyoko away from the school and called him out to fight for her. They threatened him to come.

Then they beat him up.

I told Ryohei, quite loudly and angrily, that Ryohei had done nothing wrong and that the other kids were only idiots and fools. He messed up my short hair with his hand as he laughed and told me that I was an extremely cool little brother. I smiled a bit at him.

_He really was like Elias._

* * *

I was bored. Not even all of the puzzles in the world could alleviate the boredom I felt while I was lying down on the hospital bed. Mother and Father were working while Takeshi was in school, and Chiyo had been staying at Elias' place with her family since she couldn't visit me.

The girls had made me a get-well card that Aya-nee brought in with my breakfast this morning. Ryohei was lazing around the bed, totally bored too.

"Hey, Ryo..." I started.

"Hm? What is it?" Ryohei asked, opening one of his eyes lazily.

"Want to have some fun?" I asked him, a plan already forming inside my head.

"Fun? Some extreme fun?" Ryohei asked with more interest and a whole lot more awake.

I grinned at him.

"Yes, some extremely cool fun. Up for it?" I asked him.

He pumped his fist in the air and loudly proclaimed he wanted to have some extreme fun. I huffed at him, he really couldn't be quiet for long.

One thing was for sure, I was  _ **never**  _bringing Ryohei for a mission tag-along.  **Ever**.

Anyway, Ryohei scrambled out of his bed and rushed (limped a bit) to my bed. A few whispered caution warnings and a few more instructions and Ryohei was out of the room like a shot.

I got out of bed and put on my slippers so my feet wouldn't touch the cold floor. I was wearing a bunny pajama that had been given to Chiyo, but it was too big for her, and had a pair of green striped socks. The pajama was, unfortunately, light purple with pink rabbits so I had to suck up on my pride for wearing it in public.

Ryohei didn't laugh at me, instead he insisted on calling me 'Rini' as a nickname.

Just so you know, that means 'little bunny', and if that is not embarrassing enough... It's also a  _girl's_  name.

Ryohei then popped back into the room and motioned for me to come. The two of us left the room and turned to each other. The game was fairly simple, just try to stay hidden from the nurses the longest and if you are found you have to run back to the room and shout that the other did it. It was a game Chiyo and I played all the time, if not increasingly frustrating, and that made me feel better from the homesickness I was bound to feel after nearly a week and a half in the hospital. We nodded after we established the rules before turning around and running off.

_May the best player win._

* * *

I have the strange feeling that I've witnessed this before.

A kid bigger than me, who I had bumped into, was laying unconscious on the hospital floor. A black haired boy stood over him with wooden things in his hands and a strange look on his eyes. He had a scratch here and there but he was no worse for the wear.

Oh, he was also smiling rather devilishly at the loser. I blinked. Ah, I remember now, I really did witness something like this back in the festival.

"Hi." I say, my little hand waving to the black haired boy.

His silver piercing eyes turn to me, confused for a moment before recognition dawned on them.

"Hn." Was all I got out of him.

"Are you sick too?" I asked, mostly out of equal parts of good education and curiosity.

"Hn." Was his answer. I took that as a yes.

"Where's you' room?" I asked him.

He didn't answer vocally but he turned his head slightly to the left.

"Are you staying?" I asked.

"No." He answered curtly.

I blinked at him before smiling.

"Then play with us!" I said.

"No." The boy said before turning around to walk away.

Now, had I been anyone else, I might have taken this as dismissal. But, I was  _me_. And I never took a ' _no_ ' for an answer.

"Aah... Then I guess it'll be just me and Ryo." I 'sighed', "Oh well. He's a lot cooler than you, anyway."

With that said I turned around and started walking away, a small little skip in my step, making sure to keep an eye out for nurses.

It didn't take long before a hand be placed on my shoulder. Looking over I see sharp silver eyes.

"Hn." He said. I interpreted it as 'What are the rules?'.

I grinned this time.  _Chiyo was an awesome 'persuasion' teacher._

* * *

About twenty minutes had passed since we had parted ways and hidden. I'd heard a lot of shouting and some mutters of 'troublesome children' here and there, but no shouts of 'He did it!'.

I wasn't one to disregard small mercies so I took this confusion to move to a more distant hiding spot. I had already went two floors down from my own and I was now attempting to go down to the first floor of the hospital. I knew that going to the main entrance was going to get me in more trouble than what I was looking for so I decided to keep away from that.

Instead, I was interested in the more secluded rooms in the back.

As I jumped the last step from the stairs I quietly peeked at the corridor. No nurses only a few patients.

Quickly putting on my 'innocent bystander' game face I stepped out into the corridor and started walking along. No one gave me more than a spare glance, it was normal to see a child in the hospital was it not? Even if said child was in a pajama, it wasn't a big deal. In Chiyo's words... I was  _invisible_.

That little thought stoked my ego just right. It was startling to see how easy it was too fool the masses, how easy children were disregarded as something 'harmless' and 'weak'. What if I was a spy? Or a killer? Would they honestly believe such a thing?

My opinion was split on the matter. On one side I was relieved that they thought that way, it made moving around a lot easier, but on the other hand... What else could people easily overlook? A crime? A secret?

_Secret..._

_"What if you told the boy the truth and let him choose?"_  The words that man, Tanaka, had said to my Grandfather rang in my ears.

What  _was_  the truth? What could I possibly have a choice in?

_'There is no reason for you to know. Forget this ever happened...'_  That voice had also told me.

Was I just like these patients? Overlooking things right there in front of me? That thought was scary. It made me feel like I was blind, or like what I saw wasn't reality.

_A mere illusion..._

I stumbled before I fell to the floor. My heart hurt. Felt like it was being pressed against my chest.  _Constricted_.

Maybe it was a fool's errand but I refused to stay there on the ground. On shaky legs I got up and resumed walking, trying at the same time to regulate my breathing.

It hurt. But I wasn't giving up. I wanted to keep walking. I don't want to fall down... again.

_'You are slipping...'_

The echo passed through me. Freezing my insides with fear and dread. I tried adjusting my feet on the ground, it was safe.

_'You are slipping...'_

My breathing stopped for a moment, I coughed. My head spun and my vision was hazy. I shook my head, focus... You are almost there.

A step in front of the other, easy and effortless, just keep moving.

The dark wooden doors of a room appeared in the corner of my eye. I turned my head to face it. This place looked like it didn't really belong in the hospital. I decided to go in, the doors were heavy and they creaked when I opened them.

Light flooded my eyes for a moment before I blinked it away.

Painted glass. An angel praying with tears in it's eyes over a sleeping person. Light filtered through it and made the shadows on the floor recreate the scene, moving slowly with the passing of time. The floor had a dark red carpet and there were wooden benches in rows. All lined up on the sides of the altar.

_Altar?_

A table with candles and a statuette on top of it. On the sides of the room I could see more supports for candles, some were lit but most were out. A match box sat beside on of the supports with candles.

I walked closer to it. The echoes in my mind continued to ring but I ignored them. The support was taller than me but if I stood on my toes I could reach the lower portion of the candles.

_'Why don't you light a candle, A-...?'_

_'I don't believe in God.'_

_'But you don't have to believe in Him to pray for someone else's.'_

_'Really?'_

_'Yes, as long as you keep your heart true, it's fine.'_

_'Alright then... Thank you, Father Timothy.'_

_'Anytime, A-...'_

I didn't notice nor feel my limbs moving on their own. My hand reached out for the box of matches and I opened it. I took out single match and tried to light up a candle. At first I couldn't do it, but I tried again and again until a flame appeared on the tip.

_A blazing flame that reflected in my eyes._

I slowly took the match closer to one of the candles, trying to light up the wick.

And when it did I blew the match out and  _froze_.

Whatever took over me at that moment left. I blinked and looked at the flame, the light of it made my weariness fade a bit. But just like a puppet with his strings cut, my world spun one last time and my vision misted over.

I fell into the darkness, as if the ground suddenly opened up under my feet to swallow me whole.

_'You are slipping...'_  the echo mockingly rang inside my ears.

* * *

I opened my eyes to emptiness and fading echoes. But not darkness.

There was light, not much but still there, that seemed to call me over. The irony of the phrase 'Don't go into the light', passed my mind once or twice before I got up and tried to walk. Only to fall backwards as I lost my balance. My legs shakily tried again to support my body.

This time they did stand for a little bit before I was back on the ground. I felt so tired and numb, _I couldn't move._

The light was just there in front of me, tempting me and calling me to go to it, but I was unable to. I couldn't even crawl over to it, my body was just so heavy. I wasn't sleepy nor did I want to sleep, but without any other choice, I lay there on the ground waiting. For what I did not know, maybe to just rest for a little bit, but there was this strange feeling that there was something coming.

I sighed before closing my eyes. The ground felt cool on my hot skin. My heartbeat was a tad irregular and faint but it lulled me to sleep.

_'You are slipping...'_

* * *

The hospital pediatric floor was in chaos. The two children missing from their shared room were noticed quickly but only one child had been found after twenty minutes and then another that wasn't even considered missing was caught playing 'a stupid herbivorous game'.

That was the moment that the nurses realized that the second child that was missing had somehow managed to get out of the pediatric floor.

There was an announcement and all of the other floors started looking for the little boy. What they found was what the nurses didn't want to see. The boy had been brought in with a terrible and persistent fever, no matter the medication the doctors gave him, it just wouldn't disappear. It was decided that the child would stay for a two week long observation period just in case it took a turn for the worse.

The problem now was that the child, after one and a half weeks, had decided to run out of his room and without any medical mask on or any warmer clothing, and run around the hospital. It was no wonder his condition worsened.  _But to this extent?_

Mori Ayaka was a young nurse at the hospital, had been there for two years now, and not even in the worse cases she studied at Medical School had she ever observed such an ailment. Her older co-workers were baffled by the condition the boy was now in.

The boy's heart and lungs were suffering from something that they still hadn't identified, and as such were severely weakened. His skin was paler and his lips had been turning blue when he had been found in the hospital's chapel.

He had been rushed to the ER but there was nothing they could do to him without knowing what he had, the best they could do was try to lower his fever and connect him to the machines and IV drip. He had been unconscious since then, and there were no signs of improvement. Ayaka had been the one that called the parents. _And one thing she would never forget..._

_Was the shocked silence of the line as the phone fell to the ground, breaking into pieces and static._


	17. Part I - Chapter 16

Tsuyoshi felt  _old_. He was still in his early thirties but right now he felt as if he was eighty. Mariko, his wife, was pale and shaking beside him. Her trembling hands were holding onto his arm with her strongest grip. He had been one step behind her as she picked up the phone, and he had been the one to grab her before she fell to her knees on the ground. The screams of agony made it difficult to understand what had happened until she told him:

_"Natsu is not waking up!"_

His heart had turned to stone in his chest, cold and heavy. He soothed his wife and called the preschool to let Takeshi stay there for a little longer before calling the Falks to tell them what had happened. Einar-san had immediately called his wife, a cardiologist, to look into the case and assured him that his mother would pick Takeshi up at kindergarten.

After that was done, he closed the restaurant and drove, with the car they rarely used, to the hospital. The nurse that had called them was there by the door to guide them to where his son (his  _youngest_  son!) was placed. The room was filled with more machines than he'd thought he'd ever see on his small boy. He looked so tiny and fragile, his skin white as porcelain and a peaceful expression upon his face. If not for the tubes and needles and machines beeping and blaring, Tsuyoshi would have thought he was simply sleeping.

The nurse and Einar's wife, Hanna, had assured them that he felt nothing. Knowing that he wasn't in any pain relieved both parents. Tsuyoshi wanted to go call one of his old acquaintances, from his darkest days, but his wife forbade him. And he agreed, the risk of finding him was too great. They needed to hope and pray.

Pray that their son could find his way back to them by himself.

_'Please, Natsume... If you are looking over him, please help him. Don't let his flame fade out too soon.'_

His silent prayer was completed with a stream of tears falling from his eyes. Grief and agony will always follow those who meet the Storms. Their fates were in the hands of everyone they met, in fact, they placed their lives in the hands of others.

And he, Tsuyoshi, was once again seeing a  _Temporale's_  life hang in balance and at the mercy of the Gods and Humans. If he became any more sick there was no doubt in his mind that Natsushi would never wake up again. He was too young. Natsume had been through this before, but he had been eight years old. Natsushi was six years younger than that.

He was not strong enough to withstand the needs and wants that his power had within it. So he continued to pray all while the beeping sound of the machines became more spaced out and frailer.  _Weaker_.

_'Please... Please...'_

Mariko shook and hid her face in his chest. Her body was trembling and her shocked sobs broke his heart over and over again. To see this happening,  _again_ , after the death of her brother would destroy her.

_'Please don't take him away... Let this one stay, please...'_

He kept trying to remember Natsushi's face in his memories, trying to desperately keep them from mixing in with ones of the same pair of eyes but different ages and hair. Trying to keep the past and present from mixing in. To not let the grief and raw hurt of those times cloud over his hope.  ** _To not give up._**

"C'mon, Natsu... I've still not told you that story." His watery and cracked voice said to the sleeping boy.

He tried not to turn his head away from the sight of him, his son, lying there. Completely motionless...

_A twitch of a finger._

Hope blossomed in his chest. Strong and bright like a beacon.

"And Takeshi has still not tried to teach you baseball." He said, his voice stronger.

Mariko lifted her head from his chest at the same time the same finger twitched again. Her eyes widened and shone.  _He could hear them._

"And Chiyo still needs help with those puzzles. She can't finish them all by herself." His wife tried out, her voice shaky and a lot more grief stricken.

His hand twitched a bit. His eyebrows came slightly more together, as if he was frowning.

"And Elias will feel sad you got sick on her recital." Tsuyoshi said.

"And she will  _cry_." Mariko added.

He was now openly frowning. His hand tried to make a fist, but it was still not moving fully.

" _And Mama will miss you._ " Mariko said, her voice tried to hold back a sob.

His hand started to move, to tremble and shake as if Natsushi was trying to forcefully move his body. Tsuyoshi grabbed his hand.

_It was cold as ice..._

"Mariko, call the nurse!" Tsuyoshi yelled.

His wife was out of the seat like a shot, Tsuyoshi could hear her yell for a doctor on the hallway. A fit man wearing a white lab coat walked in and at once started to see what was wrong with Natsushi. His brows creased together with frustration and worry as nothing he did had any effect. That was until Natsushi suddenly jerked awake and gasped.

He immediately tried to get up and away from the man in front of him. He was in total panic and Mariko had to grab him lest he fell out of the bed. His whole body felt like ice but he was awake and moving. His heart thundered in his chest and he trembled like a leaf.

Tsuyoshi was so relieved he didn't even fight back as he was pushed into the corridor to give way for the wide array of nurses and doctors that flooded into the room.

* * *

Natsushi opened his eyes to the same scenery he had when he had first appeared there. The light in the distance was still there, but now it was  _fainter_. And the ground no longer felt cool on his hot skin, in fact he was freezing cold.

Natsushi tried to slowly get up and start walking, his mind spun at first but then he stabilized himself, he started walking. One step in front of the other, easy. His breathing made his lungs hurt.  _It was_  so cold.

How long had he been in this place? He could only hope it hadn't been too long. The light was still far away from him but soreness and weariness were catching up to him again. He tried to walk faster but that was more draining. It was like a battle of wills, whoever gave in first would lose.

But what happened to the one that lost?

Natsushi closed his eyes and grit his teeth. He needed to get to that light now!

_Why? Is it really that important?_

I don't know...

_Then why don't you just stop?_

I don't want to stop...

_Aren't you tired?_

I am tired and cold...

_Then stop._

I don't want to!

_Give up!_

No!

_Stop right now!_

No, I don't want to!

_Why?!_

Because... Because...

Natsushi stumbled but did not fall down. But he stopped walking. Why did he have to reach that light? Why didn't he just stop?

The answer seemed to be at the tip of his tongue but he couldn't recall it.

"C'mon, Natsu... I've still not told you that story." A voice came from above, barely above a whisper that nuzzled against Natsushi's ear.

_Father..._

"And Takeshi has still not tried to teach you baseball." The same whisper said.

Natsushi opened his eyes.  _Takeshi..._  He had to keep going, the light seemed so much closer than before, he could feel a small source of warmth in it. He had to get there.  _But it was so cold..._

He was losing his strength just by standing there, his bare feet were numbing and the pin-like pinches made it uncomfortable and difficult to walk.

"And Chiyo still needs help with those puzzles. She can't finish them all by herself." A different whisper told him, a softer voice that was just so sad. So tired.

_Mother..._

She was right. I had to keep going, Chiyo would be so mad if he didn't get out of here. He just had to keep walking.  **He couldn't stop.**

Because... Because...

"And Elias will feel sad you got sick on her recital." A whisper said.

Oh, yeah. I had gotten sick there, hadn't I? I still had to tell her thanks for the get-well card. And to let her and Ryohei meet... She'd like to meet him, I'm sure. To talk about extremeness and exuberance together.

And Chiyo would glare at me and ask why, in my right state of mind, would do something like that.

Hehe... I had to get back. I wanted to laugh at her face as she made this expression of 'why-world-why' and sighed.  _Chiyo..._

My feet began dragging on the cold floor. It was so cold.  _Why?_  What was happening that made this place so cold?

"And she will cry." The other whisper added.

Elias crying? For me? No...  _because_  of me?

Why would she cry? Did I do something? Was it because I was sick?

My head hurt. My body ached. Yet... Yet I still kept trying to walk towards the light.  _Why?_

What was it that made the thought of simply giving up unbearable? That made my heart squeeze tightly and harshly in my chest. That fueled my resolve to keep standing.

I can't stop here. I can't give up.

I have to keep moving. Just keep moving.  _You are almost there._

_Why?_

I... Because I...

"And Mama will miss you." Mother's whisper reached my ears.

It had been like someone replaced all of my blood with molten steel. It hurt! It burned!

My breath escaped my lungs and I fell to my knees onto the freezing cold floor. My back arched at the same time waves of pain and desperation shot straight through me. It was unbelievably painful.

_Still..._

_Mama... Mother... Mom..._ **I can't stay here.**

_**I've got to go back. I have to get out!** _

_Why?_

**BECAUSE I WANT MY FAMILY!**

Light surrounded me. It burst through the darkness and cold like fire. A blazing fire of cold colors. Blue and green, purple and a small light touch of gold. I reached out for the place where I remembered the light had come from, my fingers were touching nothing obviously but he still tried to reach out for something.

_What? There is nothing there..._

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there...

_Who said that to me?_

_So much like trust, in that aspect, is it not?_

_You can't see trust..._

_Oh? Why not?_

_Because trust is not something visible..._

_But it exists, doesn't it? It's there if you are looking for it, even if you can't see it._

_I guess..._

_Hm, another question. Why do you trust?_

_What?_

_Why do you trust someone else?_

_Because..._

_**Because we can...** _

I heard a soft laugh echoing throughout my mind.

_Good answer... **Child**._

* * *

I blinked and all of the light vanished. It was completely quiet and I was all alone.

I could see well enough, though. I was in some sort of cave. The ground and walls were all made of stone, untreated stone with some moss growing here and there, or the stalactites that descended from the ceiling like spirals.

I could hear by heart in my ears. A quiet heartbeat that surprised me. I had honestly forgotten how strong a heartbeat could sound like.  _Mine had been so quiet..._  My footsteps echoed in the silence, I kicked up a rock somewhere along the way and I stubbed my toe on a rock as I tried to make sense of where I was.

I cursed a bit as I hopped on one foot. This was worse than stepping on a lego block...

Huffing and toeing carefully from then on I looked around. The cave seemed wider here, where I was, and there was this bigger rock formation that looked like... a basin? I got closer to it. Yeah, it did look like a basin, filled with water to the brim too.

I wasn't getting to close to the edges of it. I couldn't see the bottom of it. There was a single stalactite nearby, perfectly above the basin. And as I looked it, I could see a single droplet of water fall from tip of it and into the rocky basin.

It made a ripple, slightly disturbing the water's surface.

_'You are slipping...'_

I jerked. The water surface trembled once, and as the ripple made it's way to the edges of the water, more ripples appeared. Each more violent than the last. Shaking the water until it looked like a tumultuous ocean.

_'You are slipping...'_

The water started to spill over the basin edges, wetting my feet. I shivered at the cold water. I tight pressure of fear coursed through me. I tried to get away from the basin but as I tried to pull back a shadowy figure grabbed me.

I couldn't see it's face or any of it's features.  _It was just like a shadow._

And as the figure grabbed me and held me in place, it leaned in closer to me and whispered.

_'You are slipping...'_

Before  _pushing me_  into the basin.

My eyes widened as my body hit the water. The cold waters... I was submerged in them and in a moment of fright and terror I opened my mouth to shout.

_Big mistake._

Water filled my lungs and I couldn't  _breathe. I couldn't... I... I..._

**WAKE UP!**

_Natsume...? Help me..._

**OPEN YOUR EYES, NATSUSHI!**

My right eye opened. And it  _blazed_  through the dark and cold waters.

Everything seemed to shift and vanish at once, but before I could correctly piece together what had happened I saw a man in a white coat over me. I jerked fully awake and tried to get away. My heart thundered in my ears and I felt like I had been hit by a stun gun.

But then arms wrapped around me. A warm hug, and tears fell on my shoulder. A scent I knew as my Mother's invaded my nose.

"Mama...?" My voice croaked out.

"Thank goodness... You're back." Was her only answer. Her whole body just went limp around mine, like all of her strength left her at that point. I turned my head to see nurses and doctors pouring in one after the other.

_I was back at the hospital?_

How?

What is going on?  _What happened?_

* * *

The next few hours became a blur in my mind, walking in and out of exams and tests until I was tucked into a new clean bed and promptly fell asleep. Only to be woken up every hour by a concerned looking nurse. Worst night ever.

By the next morning, Ryohei had been sent home, he no longer required medical care, and I was alone in the room, blissfully sleeping, when I was woken up by Aya-nee. Who woke me up to tell me my parents were here to see me. Mother was so happy that made my chest hurt, even more when I noticed her red rimmed eyes and watery smile.

Father was there too, guess the restaurant was closed today, and he looked relieved to see me. They both sat by the bed and talked about how things had been since yesterday. Takeshi had wanted to come too but he had spent the night awake due to his worry and Chiyo was still staying over at the Falks'. Elias had requested it, as the little girl wanted Chiyo to stay over.

Einar and his wife had agreed and told them that it was no problem to them to look after Chiyo for the night.

Father then went on and on about how I was not, ever, to try that little stunt I pulled again. Ever, on the pain of eternal time-out.

Like I needed them to tell me that. I wasn't about to go through that again, no way in hell. Once was enough, thank you very much.

I yawned and moved a little underneath the covers, the restraining thing they'd placed on my ankle made it a little uncomfortable but it showed that they were not up for one of my exploits. I would have laughed at the irony that I really was tied to the bed now.

Father ruffled my hair and told me to go to sleep, I was tired and that was probably why I only had one eye open as I listened to them. I agreed and took no further invitation to fall back into a dreamless sleep.

_Though I wonder how long it would take them to notice..._


	18. Part I - Chapter 17

My stay in the hospital after that was not very long. In perspective, the doctors believed I would have better chances getting better at home than in the hospital. Oh, but I was to be bedridden for a week or so until it was clear I would not have another relapse.

It was weird. I felt sad that I was leaving the hospital, it had obviously grown on me, and I would miss Aya-nee and the other nurses. I had not seen the black haired boy ever since I blacked out.

And that was another thing that made me confused and terrified...

' _You are slipping..._ '

That voice was haunting me. It chased me in my dreams and made my heart feel cold as ice. I would wake up shaking and more than once I was too scared to make a link to the Prairie. It was at times like that I would curl into myself and hide beneath the covers. And I would swear up and down that as the voice grew colder and nearer, there was another who'd come and hum a soothing song.

My senses would latch onto those hums and my consciousness would fade into oblivion. And by the time I would come to, it was morning.

It had been a weird experience at first but now it was routine. What I was not getting used to was this...

My right eye felt like it was burning and the lack of sight it caused me, every time the curtain was drawn made me wince. Though, when the curtain was closed, it was only the lack of color that made me question what was going on.

And the problem was that it was  _just_  in one eye, it made my vision weird and divided. One side was completely fine and the other was... like  _that_.

The first time I opened my eyes I hadn't noticed but as time went on, I realized that my sight shouldn't be like that. As an experiment I closed my left eye and looked around. I was stunned to see the difference.

There was no color whatsoever. Just blacks and tones of grey, nothing more, except for the flashes of color I sometimes spied through the corner of my eye. But even those were limited and rare. And the downside of being half blind made it even worse.

You see, I was ' _experimenting_ ' with my weird eye when Aya-nee walked in, said that the day was too beautiful outside to be with the curtains drawn, and instantly opened them with a energetic motion. I screamed in pain as my opened right eye burned and my vision was gone. There was nothing wrong with the eye itself, the doctor had checked when I had first cried out, but there was something wrong.

_No normal eyes should burn in the sunlight._

But hey, there was nothing else that was actively malfunctioning. And I was going home this afternoon.

My brother and Chiyo are most likely worried.

* * *

I don't know what I was thinking. Chiyo and the word ' _worried_ ' never really clicked in my mind right up until I saw her outside, wearing a thick coat and gloves and a hat, snow boots on her feet and a cold flushed face. She had tears in her eyes and she was practically strangling a hamster stuffed toy, I was sure that it belonged to Elias, and was trying (and failing) to keep a stern look on her face as she waited.

It made me pause mid step and really look back at the past few weeks. I winced, the first time we were apart from one another for a long time, and it just had to be when I was hospitalized and then I promptly black out and enter a few hour long coma.

I was just that lucky...  _not_.

Mother was waiting outside with Chiyo and Takeshi while Father went up and got me checked out of the hospital. Takeshi was excited and I wondered if he knew exactly just what I had been through (Chiyo obviously seemed to...), but then I discarded the thought as Takeshi was just being Takeshi.

I was bundled up under too many layers of clothes as I stepped outside. No more than two steps before a blur of blond hair flung itself at me. Takeshi was there too, his larger hands and arms wrapping around me. It was warm...

' _You are slipping..._ '

What if I hadn't woken up? What if that voice, it sounded like Natsume's, hadn't made me open my eyes?

I felt wet droplets near my neck and turned to see Takeshi's shimmering teary eyes. Chiyo was sobbing. Mother was holding Father and she too was crying.

The knowledge that I could have died hit me like a dozen bricks.  _I could have_  died.

Like...  _dead_.  _ **Gone**_.  _Over_...

I shook. My arms grabbed hold of both Takeshi and Chiyo.  _I would've been gone and I would've never seen them again._

My right eye burned a bit in the reflected sunlight but I took it. I was not going to close my eyes, I  _wanted_  to see.

To see them. My family.

_Family_...

" _ **Famiglia...**_ " A whisper echoed inside my mind.

* * *

December reached two days after I got home from the hospital. I had missed my bed and the inviting air of comfort that the house seemed to emanate. My night scares still kept going but I only woke up due to half of them. The darker ones and the ones that made me remember the cold touch of the water as I tried to scream and-...

Let's stop there. I'm starting to feel sick. If I was uncomfortable around water before, right now I don't even want to see it.

Elias stopped by the day after I got here and she suddenly showed me the effects of living with two doctors as parents. She took my temperature and made me eat a broth her grandma made for me, before she finally hugged me and cried on my shoulder.  _I was an awful person for making them worry._

_They cared_  so  _much for me..._

My eyes blazed with determination as I let the thought simmer in my mind. They cared and loved me... so I will  _protect_  them. I will never allow myself to make them worry like that again. I  _couldn't_.

A spark of green at my fingertips made my focus turn to them. Through my left eye there was nothing abnormal to be seen, through my right, however, there was a tiny green string of electricity. So much like the thick strips of fog I now saw wrapped around Chiyo and Seth. Maybe my right eye was good for something after all...

Though this discovery made me interested in the story— the one that Father was to tell me when I got better— grow.  _Had Natsume been the same?_  Mother had been giving me meaningful glances whenever I tried to ask Father about it, so I was resigned to my fate of staying cooped up in my bedroom until I could go outside.

I really wanted to go outside too. The weather was growing cold enough for snowflakes to appear, soon snow will be covering the ground outside and I wanted to see it.

Chiyo was, kind of, having a sleepover in my bedroom as she refused (quite vehemently) to leave me out of her sight. And Mother actively encouraged this behavior, which was being reflected on Takeshi too. The fact that I had three mother hens around me was making me quite distressed at not getting some peace and quiet.

And when Chiyo couldn't be there, then...  _Seth_  was.

And the snake was worse than her at times. First time I tried to sneak off while she was napping (big mistake) I had been tripped and held down by him as he hissed to me several warnings.

I only understood a few words and slithered insults at my obvious lack of self-preservation (tell me about it...), but the pointed glance he did to Chiyo made his message loud and clear:

-  **You mess up and _I'll_  mess  _you_  up.**

There was really no need for further warnings. 'Death by Chiyo' was not something on my bucket list of things to do.

I puffed my cheeks as I gazed at the clock on Takeshi's desk. He should be getting out of school right about now. Maybe in an hour or so. I feel tired.

Maybe I'll just have a small nap.

* * *

I glared at the sight in front of my eyes. This is  _not_  something I wanted to happen.

I was seated on a rock amongst the green and soft grass of the Prairie, in front of me was another rock. Where a tall and dark haired young man was seated and facing me with a disgruntled expression.

"What?" I asked with a snappish tone in my voice.

"That's how you greet someone you have not seen since you were what... a few months old?" His voice was light and casual, but his eyes were darker.

"Yes, it is. Especially when that someone is already dead." I gave him a pointed stare.

He huffed.

"Kids these days... I'd imagine that Riko-chan would've pounded some manners into you, but seeing who your father is and how your mother was at your age... I'm not surprised." He said.

My brows furrowed.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"A commitment from you." Was his answer.

"Why? For what reason?" I asked, my voice a tad colder than before. I recognized his voice as the one that warned me about the old man.

"To make sure you don't get yourself found." Natsume replied with a glare.

"Found by who?" I asked, I was not going to back out now.

"I cannot tell you. I  _won't_  tell you." Natsume answered.

"Then I refuse this commitment." I replied, with a shrug.

His glare intensified.

"You will not." He told me.

I quirked up a brow.

"Oh really? Do tell, why not?" I asked, my childish voice made my sarcastic tone lose points, but we can't have everything...

"I will not tell you." Natsume told me. He stressed out every word of that one line.

"Then. I. Refuse." I stressed out mine with a childish stomp of feet. I was having none of that 'forget about this' fanfare, he either told me or I was not listening.

"You will not!" He raised his voice.

It did not scare me, I'd heard worse in my dreams.

"I will! Because I am  _ **not**  _you!" I yelled at him before vanishing.

I woke up to Takeshi placing a small package on the desk.

"Hey, nii-san..." I yawn.

His startled brown eyes turn to me. I blink at his reaction, did I mispronounce a word or something?

"Did you... did you call m-me... ' _nii-san_ '?" He stuttered.

I blinked again. He was Takeshi, no doubt about that, so I didn't refer to a strange person so I really didn't get what was wrong.

"Yeah..." I answered.

He stood there for a full minute before running out of the room screaming 'Natsu called me Nii-san!' for the whole continent to hear. Not even a second later Chiyo was at the door, glaring into my eyes.

"Nee-san." Was all she said before turning her back.

I scowled at her back (from where Seth looked like he was grinning at me) and swore an entire storm inside my head. I was not going to call Chiyo 'big sister', and that was final.

* * *

We were having dinner (I was finally out of bed, thank god) when Chiyo brought up the recent topic of discussion around the house.

"Say it, Natsu!" She demanded.

"I will not!" I yelled at her.

"Say it!" She repeated.

"No, stop asking!" I replied.

"Say it!" Was her shrill cry.

Mother and Father looked bemused at me, while Takeshi looked victorious. Apparently, in this family, there was a running bet about who I'd deem important enough to treat with an familiar honorific.

Takeshi had obviously won this bet but now there was a new one.

Will I or will I not call Chiyo, Nee-san.

Personally, it was not gonna happen. In my mind Chiyo was not older than me, and even if she is, it's only by a month (not even that...).

"Stop asking,  _Chiyo-tama_!" I yelled loud enough to rock the table, a spark of green made the spoon repel itself into the other side of the table. Father gave me a look of concern before Chiyo's indignant squawk made me realize my pronunciation slip.

Now, you see... I still had problems with my pronunciation and misspelled words, so when Chiyo had annoyed me I wanted to call her 'Chiyo- _sama_ ' because of her bossy attitude. But my damned tongue just had to act up and made me say ' _-tama_ ' instead.

Granted they mean the same thing but with one major difference:

\- Sama is  _respectful_ ; -Tama is used for  _cuteness_.

And recalling Chiyo's rule n.º 2, ' **Never**   _address anything related to her as_   **cute**.'

Figures the only time I actually break this rule is when I'm not  _intentionally_  doing it.

I was going to be nursing one hell of a headache by the end of the day.

That and a month in time out for all the name calling that ensued.


	19. Part I - Chapter 18

I only realized what day it was when I glanced at the calendar strung up beside the kitchen's door. Today was the 6th of January.

The 6th of January.

It's been two days since Elias' birthday and I was not there. I was bedridden after I almost die-... Okay, let's not go there.

I missed her birthday! And no one told me a thing! Why didn't they tell me? And Elias didn't mention anything either!

So, understandably, I was very annoyed by the time I re-entered the playroom. Chiyo and Takeshi were doing a puzzle together (or at least they were attempting to), Seth was curled around the hamster stuffed toy Chiyo sometimes dragged along with her. It made me cringe when I saw how tight his... hug was. The poor toy's head looked like it was going to burst.

I sighed and sat down on one of the beanbags our parents had bought us, curling up with a soft pink blanket and looking up at the scene unfolding in front of me.

They were too cute. Chiyo had this air of suffering as she tried to explain to Takeshi why he couldn't just place two random pieces together, and trying to make him see that there was a way that was easier in order to find the matches than just to try every single piece.

I was holding back laughter when Takeshi asked her if the puzzle wasn't simply broken. But I lost that fight when Chiyo muttered that it was his brain that was broken. My snort drew their attention to me and I had to hold my stomach at the expression on Chiyo's face.

Takeshi was more upbeat though, laughing carelessly and joking that baseball was better. Chiyo looked offended at that statement and told him that unless he could hit a home-run for every single pitch, she wouldn't accept that. I sweat dropped at the fiery glow of determination blazing in Takeshi's eyes.

You might've just cursed yourself there, Chiyo...

I sighed and leaned back into the beanbag. My eyes were getting used to the dual type vision that made my head hurt. Out of the corner of my eye I see a faint glow coming from my jacket pocket. I reached out and rummaged through the pockets. Something cold touched my fingertips and I grabbed it.

Pulling it out I see that it's only the strange ring that Grandfather had given me. I lifted it to eye level and closed my left eye.

Colors drained completely from my sight and the faint glow grew to a small bead of light engulfing lightly around it. It's color was a strange combination of some purplish blue and green. I twirled it in my hand before I blinked and opened both my eyes, dual sight returning and colors slowly filtering back into the scene. The glow diminished once again and returned to being just faintly noticeable.

What a strange ring...

I shrugged and placed the ring back into my jacket pocket. Chiyo was back at trying to make Takeshi complete a puzzle, and she was not succeeding.

* * *

Elias passed by the house in the afternoon and I tried to 'discreetly' avoid her. I felt bad about not noticing her birthday had passed.

She was having none of my self-imposed act of pity and proceeded to drag me from my bedroom to the playroom and forced me to play a game with her. I avoided her eyes and she proceeded to make me have a staring contest with her (the loser had to try and steal a cookie from the kitchen, while Mother was there). Finally, I tried to pull the 'I'm tired' card, only for her to announce an impromptu nap time and that both Chiyo and Takeshi had to participate.

On the bright side I was surprised to see how far Elias would go to make sure I would not distance myself from the rest of them. And just how much patience she had for my childish impulses.

"I'm sorry." I said when the two of us were alone in the playroom.

"For what, kanin?" She asked, confused.

I twitched at the nickname. I had unfortunately told Chiyo that Ryohei called me 'rini' thanks to her pajamas that I borrowed. And boy, had she laughed at that. Worse, she told Elias, who then took the right to call me 'kanin'. And her grandma had kindly informed me that it meant bunny.

Did I look like a cute animal to you?!

"I missed your birthday..." I muttered, turning my face away from hers.

"Oh, that. It's okay." She said.

I turned back to her.

"No, it's not! I didn't even remember it!" I told her," I'm an awful friend!"

She bonked me in the head and when I gazed up to her I had to suppress a shiver that ran up my spine. That was one mean cold look in her eyes. Her normally bright blue eyes and cheerful personality really makes you drop your guard down.

I was not expecting her usually bubbly demeanor to descend into a hell beast with a gaze colder than Antarctica. And she was glaring daggers at me.

I was screwed... I may be (slightly) immune to Chiyo's glare, but Elias'? I had better odds facing Mother.

"You are not a bad friend! Don't you ever think that!" She said as she bonked my head again.

I didn't say anything as I just sat there with my head low.

"You're a better friend than you even realize..." She muttered lowly in her breath.

I looked up confused at her. Her face was slightly shadowed and her eyes were hidden behind the lowered platinum blond bangs of her hair. Elias' arms circled around me and she hugged me close, my face tucked away slightly above her shoulder.

"Thank you, Natsushi. You saved me." Her whisper made my vision turn hazy.

A hum started to spread inside my head, the same one I heard when my nightmares turned really scary. With a half-conscious mind I realized somewhere along the way I started humming along. It was unrecognizable to me, but it felt so familiar.

Why? How can a song I've never heard before be familiar to me?

"A lullaby?" Elias asks.

I look confused at her. A lullaby? Was that what the song was?

"Lullaby? Why do you say so?" I asked her.

She blinked at me.

"Because of the pace. It sounds like it's made to rock people to sleep." Was her answer, "I can ask Mormor if she knows it."

"Really?" I question.

"Yeah, she'll be happy to tell you if she does. Mormor loves music." Elias tells me, a smile on her face.

"Why? Is music that good?" I asked her with genuine curiosity.

"Mormor was an amazing violinist. She played in an orchestra when she was younger, she traveled all around the world. But she left them when she met Morfar, my grandfather, because she couldn't ask him to leave his life behind for her." Elias told me.

"So, she stopped playing in an orchestra and instead opened a music school back in Sweden. She wasn't born there, in fact she came from far away, but she adopted a swedish name and decided to just start over. But she misses music a lot..." Elias continued.

"Why can't she play anymore?" I ask.

"She's too old, it takes her too much effort and it makes her bones hurt now. That's why she also stopped teaching a class back in the school, she doesn't have the energy anymore." Elias answered with a sad expression, "But you know, I once saw her holding my violin while crying. I think she wishes she could play again."

"I'm sorry." I say to her.

"What for? I'm not sad, I know that I can't really do much." She laughs, "Besides, you're going to help me cheer her up, once you've grown a bit more."

"How?" I ask her, confused.

"Chiyo, you and I are going to play in an orchestra for her!" Elias states, "I promised her."

"What?! Why?" I ask, stunned, with widening eyes.

"Hm? Ah, she looked so happy when she told me you and Chiyo liked the cello and the harp that I decided that, once you could, you'll learn how to play." Elias answers, a completely unrepentant expression on her face and a glow of satisfaction in her eyes.

She had pulled a fast one on me and Chiyo. Because now, we either learned out of free will or Elias was going to make us learn it. No one broke a promise to her Mormor.

I gulped but instead of fighting back and retorting, I did the best thing (for my sanity and well-being) and simply nodded.

Her smile widened.

Looking back, the sole female examples in my life were three people: Mother, Chiyo and Elias. And one thing I learned from them?

Girls are scary...

* * *

January came and went before I had a chance to fully step outside. And when I did, it was because of a routine check-up on the hospital. The looks the nurses were sending my way told me I had made an impression on them as the kid that went comatose from an unknown and undiscovered disease.

Chiyo was walking beside me, wearing a purple scarf tied as a bow so it wouldn't drag or so she wouldn't step and trip on it. A woolen cap was on her head, and it had a ball of fluff on the top. She was wearing woolen mittens as well. It was a cold winter this year.

I can't wait for the summer...

Underneath her thick jacket she had a pink warm jumper and a pair of warm snow pants, and rain boots that had polka dots. Oh, and she had a small backpack on her back.

Mother had bought each of us one, and quoting: 'To let you guys get used to having one for preschool.' Which was starting in April. Takeshi would be in his first year of primary school, since he was turning six years old, while Chiyo and I would enter our first year of preschool.

Chiyo's backpack was dark blue and had her name written in big pink letters (Mother wrote them with a special type of pen).

Mine was blue and my name was written with purple. I was wearing an identical thick jacket like Chiyo's, as well as the pants and the jumper but mine was purple (they had come in a pair) and my rain boots were green with stripes. A purple scarf wrapped around my neck (and tied too) with matching mittens.

But then there was my woolen cap.

It had furry ears on it.

I knew Mother was just adding insult to injury right when I saw it, her grin was hidden but her twitching lips or the gleeful gleam in her eyes gave her opinion away. And when I gave it to Chiyo and proceeded to try and wear her cap?

Mother made me wear the eared one, no excuse nor way out.

So here I was, walking inside the hospital, people looking straight at me and trying to subtlety laugh at my expense. Chiyo was finding this too amusing, as well. Her happy grin was not the 'innocent child' type of grin you'd see on an almost three year old.

No, it was the 'Insane inmate' type of grin. The one that made you want to climb the walls to escape being in her presence. I huffed and pulled the hat lower, trying to cover my face.

Not that it did me any good. My family (and me in particular) were pretty easily recognizable. I mean, who else could claim that they are the couple who own a sushi restaurant, have two sons and an adopted daughter (who I might add, is not the typical japanese looking child).

Yeah, that limits the possibilities to only us in this small town.

It was really uncomfortable at first. As soon as people saw us (mostly me or Chiyo) and would go:' Ah, those are the Yamamoto's youngest children!'. But then you kind of get used to it, and those comments become white noise in the background.

My eyesight was still recovering from being outside, meaning I could almost see again from my right eye (I was starting to hate sunlight) but if either Mother or Chiyo noticed how I was having a slight difficulty making sure to not trip or bump into anything coming from my blind side, they didn't mention it.

Sure, my family had been sending me questioning gazes here and there as time went on, but if they weren't going to bring it up well... neither was I.

Takeshi had noticed it after tossing a pillow at me shortly after drawing the curtains of our bedroom but aside from a raised eyebrow he didn't say a thing. But Father was the most worrying, he seemed to be having what I called a moment of 'pondering' as he seemed to be assessing everything I did. I stumbled and he was right there watching if anything happened.

I was starting to feel uneasy about it.

"We are here for a scheduled appointment." Mother told the attendant at the reception.

"For you, Miss?" The receptionist asks.

"No, for my children." Mother answers.

"Ah, alright. And their names?" The receptionist asks while typing in her computer.

"Yamamoto Natsushi and Ritsushima Chiyo." Mother answers.

The woman looked over the screen and down at us before settling back into her chair and typing a bit more.

"Ah, here it is! Dr. Falk-san is already expecting you. Room 53, on the 3rd floor." The receptionist says.

"Thank you." Mother thanks her before pulling us away.

We walked to the elevator and pressed the up button, once the door closed I looked up at Mother to hear her mutter how rude the woman had been to them. Because apparently, in grown up language, the woman had just deduced that Chiyo or him must've belonged to a different father.

"Why does Chiyo not have our last name?" I ask.

Chiyo looks at me confused.

"What do you mean, Natsu?" Mother asks.

"Why does Chiyo not have our last name, she's family." I repeat my question.

"Chiyo was not born in our family. She has her own parents... We don't have the same blood." Mother tried to explain the best she could.

"So? It doesn't matter. Chiyo's family." I told her before turning to Chiyo, "You're a Yamamoto, and don't let anyone say otherwise."

Chiyo looked startled at me and blinked several times owlishly before her eyes watered and she nodded. A hand coming up to get a hold on the fabric of my jacket. I placed a hand on her head and patted.

I wasn't great at comforting people...

Mother looked startled as well before smiling and making a sound of agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, to further try and explain Natsushi's right eye:
> 
> It's fully colorblind (Monochromacy/Achromatopsia) so it can only visualize in tones of grey and black. This also means that when in the sunlight (which makes everything brighter) Natsu will be essentially half blind.
> 
> It can see color but it's not normal colors as the naked eye can't perceive them (and yes, I'm talking about flames here).
> 
> It makes him dual sighted. Imagine a perfect line dividing your left from your right, one colorful and the other monochromatic. Not only is it strange and headache inducing, it's also very difficult to see straight. What one eye might see, the other might not.
> 
> The family knows something is wrong, but they aren't asking (for several reasons).


	20. Part I - Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Six chapters 'till Part I Finale!

Our appointment with Dr. Einar was really nothing new, it was routine by now, though the extra care they had with me made me frown. Worse, Dr. Einar liked the sunlight so his office (which was mostly white) made seeing way too tasking. Suffice to say that Chiyo noticed it all too quickly (Mama not too far behind) and had Seth circle around me to serve as a 'bumper' of sorts as to make sure I would not walk straight into the desk or chair.

And I know from experience that running into things is not something I would want to repeat. Too much, anyway...

My response to certain tasks was delayed but, thankfully, the doctor attributed this to my near-dea-...  _hmm_... My  _unconscious_  state and not my suddenly faulty eyesight. The puzzles and carefully constructed block-buildings were surprisingly boring to complete, whether that was because I had grown overly familiar with doing them at a fast pace or because I already had done them before was left up for the doctor to decide.

So, with that in mind, I blame my boredom for the slip-up. What slip-up, you ask?

I hummed a non-japanese song, as far as I know, loud enough that Chiyo looked at me like I had grown a second head (that was occurring rather frequently lately...) and stopped placing the 6th puzzle piece with the correct side up, in order to look at me with curious eyes. While Mama and Dr. Einar just looked lost.

Hey, in two years of existence (almost nearing three) I have the right to broaden my horizons. I need to get a new hobby anyway, Chiyo is becoming rather possessive of the puzzles we have and I sure don't want to wake up with Seth glaring at me or with Chiyo (God  _forbid_ ) carrying out some sick childish revenge on me. It was way too cold and early into the year for Takeshi to successfully drag me out of bed early enough to go to baseball practice with him. And both Mama and Papa had vehemently decided that I was too young to learn how to make sushi (Which I agree with).

So music seemed a rather pleasant alternative, and one that was certain to be involved in my near future if Elias had her way. And like Chiyo, she was sure to have her way.

Anyways, back on topic. I was sitting cross-legged at the low table, pilling colorful/non-colorful blocks (it depends on which point of view), when I realize what I am doing and promptly shut up. Maybe they didn't notice... I look up to the curious gazes of the other occupants of the room.

_Yeah, pretty certain they noticed._

"Natsu-kun, what song is that?" Dr. Einar asks.

"Dunno." My answer made the other three people in the room to do a collective slow blink.

"Did you invent it?" The doctor asks.

"No, I heard it somewhere." I answer, a tiny white lie. I did hear it somewhere, but that somewhere was from inside the blankness of my latest dreams.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before going to the cupboards near the end of the room and pulls out the colorful/non-colorful wooden thingy with metal slabs. He places it in front of me and hands me two small drumsticks, only these had huge heads, and proceeded to try and encourage me to play the strange thing. An instrument called a xylophone if I understood the doctor correctly.

A tap with the stick on one of the metal slabs produced a high-pitched metallic sound. A tap on another slab and the sound came out more low-pitched.

Only eight pieces. I tried tapping two slabs at the same time, the sound came out mellow. Huh, maybe this isn't so bad. And it's music right?

I mentally frowned. Didn't I say before that music was probably going to be involved in my near future? Was fate pulling my leg here, or was I developing some rather unusual future gazing abilities?

_Oh, God no... I already have_ enough _weirdness going around me to welcome anymore._

While I was internally ranting about that topic, outwardly I was displaying my rather non-existent gift to produce melodies with the xylophone thingy. Yes, they sounded nice and not overly loud but my efforts of trying to play the sound that repeated itself indefinitely in my dreams were not ending up fruitful. Still I continued to try different combinations of sounds.

I actually spent the rest of the session like that, repeating sounds back and forth as I tried to make any connection possible to the song that somewhere along the way had started echoing back in my mind.

Chiyo was getting rather annoyed with me too. Her eye had started  _twitching_  twenty minutes in with my non-stop tapping of metal slabs. Mama was amused and Dr. Einar was having trouble hiding the smile on his face, I guess my concentration face was  _funny_  to them.

Finally, after nearly half an hour of trying, I managed to make the first correct link to the melody. And what a joy that was... Literally like a light bulb had suddenly lit up in my head, and my hands just started guiding the drumsticks to the correct slabs and tadda~.

_Congratulations, Natsu. You managed to play the melody to the song invading your mind._

_And guess what my next course of action is?_

Play the same melody  _over and over again_  until Chiyo takes the sticks from my hands and hurls them to the other side of the room. Her patience had ended, and she flung herself at me and pinned me to the floor of the office. Or tried to pin me down at least... I just ' _gently_ ' rolled over and onto her and sat on top of her. That was normally the quickest way to end a altercation with Chiyo.

And of course, Mama's way to then end the argument that was sure to come was to tell us that Time-Out awaited us when we got home.

That sure took the spark out of rough housing for a bit longer.

"That melody... I think I recognize it." Dr. Einar said suddenly.

My whole attention zeroed in on the man.

"Really? Is it foreign, I don't recognize it." Mama said, slightly clenching her hands.

Huh? Is it because of her distaste for anything foreign? That's a reaction a bit  _too_  violent for just a song...

"I believe it is. But is not Swedish, nor is it Norwegian..." The doctor answered, rubbing the faint unshaved beard on his face.

"Is it... Is it  _Italian_?" Mother asked with almost unnoticeable hesitation in her voice.

"No, I believe not. If it's the song I think it is, it's actually French." Dr. Einar said.

"French? But... That's impossible." Mama was confused.

And so were Chiyo and I. I knew a french song? As far as I knew I was Japanese and I had never left the country. And I was very aware of my surroundings as a child so I would remember it if I had taken a trip somewhere.

"Yes, well. It's only a possibility. But our session is reaching it's end so we'll have to leave this development for the next session. Next month?" Dr. Einar says to my Mother.

"Yes, that's preferable. Thank you for this session, Dr. Einar-san. Say goodbye, you two." Mama tells us.

"'Bye!" Cue Chiyo's quick dismissal and even quicker run to the door.

"Bye Bye!" My drawn out goodbye and slouch to the coat hanger. I looked over my shoulder at the doctor's amused expression as he waved us goodbye.

* * *

I deserved this.  _Truly_  I did.

The fact that I was now learning the basic nursery rhymes and songs that all children learned sooner or later was my deserved ' _punishment_ ' for showing interest in music. Mama had decided that me and Chiyo (because where one went, the other was sure to follow) needed to learn more about our language and culture. And what better way to make kids interested in something than to have them play learning games?

I was remarkably adept at making a fool of myself with the tongue twisters while Chiyo showed reluctance to play a clapping game with me. Why?

Because whatever we did, if it was a game, then it had to involve rules specially made for us. For example, in this clapping game, we had to avoid getting hit. The catch was that whoever got hit was getting a slap as well. And the turns alternated only when the other person managed to not be hit. So it was a fast pacing and strangely addictive game.

Except that Chiyo didn't like losing and her reflexes were awful. Suffice to say that it was not me that ended the first round with a small red hand mark on her cheek. I was the only that ended without dessert though, because making rather harmless games a training exercise was not alright in Mother's books. Not my fault, the original game was boring and uneventful.

Takeshi had found interest in playing as well. And if you're wondering, it ended in a draw. Neither was hit once, and after twenty something turns we got bored. Though I admit he almost got me several times, while I missed him by a mile every single time.

_Had he played this before?_  It was not possible that he had such good reflexes after no previous training, and my belief of what baseball consisted of was a ball and a bat, then tossing it across and a field, rinse and repeat.

Anyway, where was I?

Oh, yeah. No dessert and off to bed early. Not that I minded, I actually had plans for tonight.

And no, no Chiyo involved this time. She was still sulking over my victory. She was such a  _baby_  sometimes...

* * *

The house was quiet. I could hear snoring above me so Takeshi was down for the count. I knocked on the wall beside me.

One heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Three heartbeats.

No response. Chiyo was down for the count.

That left Mother and Father. One was a bit of a lighter sleeper than the other, thankfully it was the one I wanted to talk with.

I slowly crawled out of bed and out of the bedroom. The door didn't creak and I already knew the perfect spots to walk down the stairs unnoticed, it was faintly amusing to see that I was no longer the nervous wreck like the first time I did this. And though I was alone this time, I felt completely at ease, I was certain that I was going unnoticed unless I wanted to be.

It was a stark contrast to how I had started at first.

_Time sure flies..._

Soon the last step of the stairs was crossed and moving on autopilot I walked towards the backroom/dojo, making sure to nudge the cabinet a bit so a soft creak echoed. I had to make sure Father woke up. I opened the door quietly and I sat cross-legged in front of the two swords on display.

I started counting. I had reached thirty-four when Father walked in, dressed in a robe and with a mug of tea and a sippy cup with the same liquid for me.

"You are getting better. I almost didn't hear you if not for the cab-..." He stopped suddenly.

I grinned impishly at him. My eyes gleamed silver and I maybe showed a bit  _too much_  of teeth to be considered angelic.

"Son of a-... Guess it's true what they say. The son will always surpass the father." Father muttered.

"Can you tell me the story now?" I ask, now holding the warm sippy cup in my hands.

"You really want to know it?" He asks, his eyes seemed older again.

"Yes, you promised. Besides..." I start - "I'm different than before. Something changed, didn't it?"

I hear him sigh.

"Yes, it did. Your power is starting to wake up." Father explained.

"What power?" I ask, focused and calmly listening to him.

"The  **Temporale**  flames. You have them." Father sighed - "I had hoped that I was wrong when I first noticed them. You really are like Natsume."

"I'm not him." My voice sounded harsh and I cringed a bit. I hadn't meant for it to sound so rough.

Father looked startled at my remark but smiled afterwards.

"No, you are not. You are Natsushi, my youngest son." He said, "But you do look like him, so forgive anyone who compares you two."

"But this resemblance is dangerous, isn't it?" I ask.

"Yes, how did you know?" Father seems surprised.

"When I ran off without Mother, she covered my face so the old man didn't see my face. And when we went to Grandfather's house..." My voice trailed off.

"What happened?" Father asked with a frown.

"There was this man, Tanaka-san I think, that talked in the back of the store with Grandfather and Grandmother." I said, my voice became colder as it went on, "He talked how they should  _sell_  me. To the  _Vongola_."

Father's eyes were furious. My right eye spied a torrent of blue being spread across his body, violent yet still seemingly under control.

"Blue." I blurted out.

"You can see flames?" Father asks with utmost surprise. The torrent of blue faded a bit as his anger was forgotten for now.

"Only one eye." I admit.

He looked at me for a moment longer before nodding and sipping on his tea. I mimicked the gesture.

"Back on track. Yes, you looking like Natsume will cause you more harm than good. And you being the Temporale..." He sighed.

"What's a Temporale." I ask.

"Temporale's are what the people who possess such flames are called. It avoids confusion as there is only one Temporale in every generation." Father answered - "If Natsume hadn't died than you would have never been born with this power."

I listened without saying a word.

"The Temporale's are very strong individuals. They possess the flames that carry the powers of the 'Thunderstorms'. And they lead the other  **Storms**."

Father looked at me.

"I'll tell you Natsume's tale, I will not tell Mariko that I told you and it will be up to you if you choose to reveal this to Chiyo. I believe that it would be best for her to know as this will influence her as well." Father told me - "As she has the  **Sandstorm**  flames, Tempesta di sabbia, another of the Storms."

My eyes widen as I connect the dots.  _ **Chiyo was really like me...**_

* * *

Kimura Natsume was born in a small village on the countryside. He was the eldest son of a couple that worked in a small general store, and he had a little sister, eleven years younger than him. The young girl was a ball of energy and loved to be around her older brother, despite the age difference.

And she was one of the only people who knew Natsume's  _secret_.

When the boy was eight he discovered that he had something many people desired and feared. The power of a Temporale. Naturally, not knowing what this power was, the boy told no one. And he remained unnoticed by the growing populace of crime families for eight more years. And even then, it was not because of his flames that he was discovered.

He was discovered because he defeated a man in a fight to protect his Sensei, the man who taught him how to wield a sword. You see, when the boy had been younger he got into a fight with a neighboring boy, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, about who was stronger. Of course, the neighboring boy forgot to take into account the age difference and lost the fight with little to no pride at all.

Basically, a rather easy and pointless ass-whooping. But the younger boy had honor and invited to other boy to come learn the path of the sword with his father. And that was the beginning of a rivalry/friendship that lasted all of those eight years. Kimura Mariko had not been too keen on the Yamamoto boy and showed her displeasure of him by frequently ignoring the boy's very existence.

Not that it worked because the boy just became more resolute on making her look at him. ( _And we all know how_ well _that worked..._ )

But Natsume, though focused and gifted with the sword, did not take well to their Sensei's teachings, rather his fighting style was too different than the conventional sword and more like a mixture of hand to hand combat with the help of a rather pointy and long ' _knife_ '. But it worked splendidly with Natsume's personality.

And the Sensei was the first person the boy ever told about his power. He was thirteen years old.

After the man told him that there was nothing wrong with him, and making sure the boy, now teen, understood the responsibility of this gift, the man started teaching the boy how to control it. Unlike the flames that all people had, though most don't even realize they have them, his flames were too powerful and too volatile to be controlled solely by willpower.  _They needed an outlet._

So the Sensei forged a sword that would help the boy. A wakizashi, made of metal that looked pure white and with a special  _core_. It would help focus the flames and it would also help him learn how to control them. This worked spectacularly.

In three short years the boy was on the way to become a master swordsman and a brilliant flame user.  _But happiness and peace never last long for Storms._

You see, that is what people call the  **Curse of Storms**. Their lives are constantly on the line due to  _one little detail_  in their powers.

**They never stop growing.**  The  **Cloud _core_  **element in all of them makes their flames multiply and grow stronger and stronger as time goes by, no matter whether they use the flames or not. Though of course if the Storm in question uses the flames regularly they will be stronger than a Storm who rarely uses it's power.

That is why, Storms live mostly in hiding. And those who are unfortunate to be found...

_They are bound to live lives of crime._

At  _sixteen_ , the older apprentice of Sensei turned against their teachings and picked a nasty feud with a small crime family who had created their base nearby. And when the fool realized his mistake he fled, leaving his younger companions and an aged Sensei to pick up the slack.

It all worked well, until that crime family attacked the village and his Sensei, wounding the man, and placing his hometown into panic. Calling forth every ounce of power he had, Natsume devastated them. No person remained, and he walked out of the fight undefeated and sorrowful. The wounds on his Sensei had been too severe and the aged man did not make it.

He plead his best-friend forgiveness for not being strong enough, which was unnecessary as the teen (barely fourteen years of age) never blamed his friend. And when news of this victory spread like wildfire, the information of the green lightning and thundering clouds above the fight was also released. This was something no one could have stopped. It was no one's fault.

_After all, how could the villagers know this would be the final nail in the coffin for the young and loving teen?_

This reached the ears of the Vongola Nono, a man that thought with a different view on things, and was still ruthless and fierce when the situation called for it. And he showed up at the village with an offer.

_No... An **order**._

**Either join the Vongola or die.**

His power was too great, too strong and he was under no affiliation. He could easily go work under an enemy of Vongola and then...? Temporale's are strong, the strongest out of all the Storms, and they had a hidden characteristic to their existence.

They influenced every other Storm around them. If a Famiglia had another Storm and Natsume called upon that Storm, loyal or not to that Famiglia, he would follow the Temporale's lead.

And Vongola just had their hands so close to the chicken that laid the golden eggs. _Who would have just let this young boy go free?_

In the end, Natsume was forced to leave behind his home and family, saying goodbye and promising he would see them someday again.

That day came 12 years later, in the middle of Autumn, when a black car bearing the Vongola emblem stopped in front of the old general store and told them the news.

Kimura Natsume, at that point 28 years of age, had died in a feud protecting the eldest son of Vongola Nono, as was his duty as the heir's bodyguard. And the only things they gave to the parents, the last remnants of their son, was a battle aged sword and a strange metal ring.

_And a letter..._

A boy, no... A man who wielded so much power, lost to the world due to the greed of others. The downfall of the Storms seemed to always be the same, sold or betrayed for wealth or power, all because of their simple existence.

Storms are creatures of grief. Bound to see families walk in the light, all while they crawl in darkness.  **Their fates held in the hands of the people that will one day choose whether or not to fall to the temptation of power.**

* * *

"That is Natsume's story." Father finished, his forgotten cup of tea layed there cold, untouched, "What will you do now?"

" _Protect_." I answered, my eyes glowed. The tears that had started to fall during the tale made my eyes shimmer.

"Protect yourself?" Father asked.

"No.  **I will protect Chiyo and Elias. I will protect you and Mama and Takeshi.** " I answered. The thin sheen of power that had covered over me grew stronger, sparks of pure green energy circled around my fingers.

My determination was set in stone at that moment. I would  _ **protect**  _the people I  _ **cared**  _for, and come hell or high water I would make whoever dared to try and harm them  _ **regret**  _their actions.

_But most of all... **I promised to never allow Vongola to harm my family again.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, I'll explain my choice of time and actions:
> 
> \- While I do understand that Nono is a character that some of you think is a Grandfather figure, he's a mafia boss. The Boss of the most bloody and powerful of them at that. No matter how sweet and caring he may be, he didn't get power and respect by baking cookies.
> 
> That said, he (like so many characters in this story) f*** up.
> 
> \- The reason as to why Storms are so much sought after: Imagine a pot of gold. You want it and everyone else around you wants it, it's instinct to basically sucker punch anyone who then tries to take that gold from you. Storms are the gold and you guys are the mafia. And to add insult to injury, Storms only come once in a generation, so until one of them kicks the bucket there won't be any new Storms.
> 
> So like Tsuyoshi said, had Natsume never died, Natsushi would have not been born with this power (*?). No I'm not explaining that thingy, it's a plot point for later on.
> 
> \- Storms and their power: They all have the same core, they do not belong to either Sky flame types or Earth flame types. They do not possess a Sky, the Thunderstorm (Temporale) flame is the equivalent to it, but not the same.
> 
> There are seven flames and only seven users per generation. And yes, at this point in time they have all been born. These flames are not sensed as easily as other flames, that is why Nono didn't realize he had a Temporale right at his feet, and many are not even aware Storms exist, as they are (in a population of billions) extraordinarily rare.
> 
> Yes, you can laugh all you want that while rare Natsushi already has two other Storms with him. I blame that in fate, or my sleep deprived brain but meh.
> 
> \- My choice for the title of Storms: First off, I was to call them Stars at first, but scratched out that idea. I named them Storms because of two reasons.
> 
> 1\. They are natural occurrences in Nature.
> 
> 2\. Their devastation increases due to weather changes. Which in turn are worsen due to global weather (?), and which is caused by natural occurrences and a consequence of man's actions.
> 
> So, I chose this name because it made me feel giddy that I can tell you that Storms hate the Mafia because of what the Mafia did to them. And to show you what happens when you mess with Mother Nature.


	21. Part I - Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part I Finale Countdown: Five chapters to go!
> 
> Storm's Flames:  
> Natsushi - Temporale flames; Thunderstorm  
> Chiyo - Tempesta di Sabbia; Sandstorm  
> Elias - Uragano; Hurricane

When I woke up the next morning I felt different.  _Lighter..._

My guess was that I wasn't burdened down by my lack of understanding as to why people reacted the way they did around me. To most others, I must've been like a reminder of past mistakes or of a lost chance to live out a life.

But not anymore. Oh no, I would show them. I was not like the others, I would not bow down to those who did not deserve my respect or power. Names or titles didn't matter at all, unless you showed you deserved such a thing.

So when I woke up that morning, I sighed and smiled at Takeshi when he came down from his bed to wake me up and greet me with a smiley good-morning face. And then I, in turn, went to wake Chiyo up— because God forbid, Takeshi trying to wake Chiyo up? I'm still trying to understand how she managed to punch a hole through the wall with a pillow.

_Those two never cease to amaze me._

So, I knocked on the door— out of habit and not need, since she slept like a log— and entered the messy bedroom belonging to the only other female in the Yamamoto household. Honestly, it felt like entering the habitat of an endangered species. You had to be quiet and very careful where you placed your feet, because one wrong move and you'd have a very annoyed reptile and your worst nightmare incarnated ready to pounce on you due to their sleep being disturbed.

Seriously, if this was what it was like when I came to wake her up on mornings where we could spend the morning lazing around the house like a couple of unemployed nobodies, what will it be like when we gotta leave the house early and go to a building filled with annoying snotty kids?

...

_Oh, God no..._  Please  _have_  mercy _on me..._

I swallowed and proceeded to nudge Chiyo,  _very_  gently, in an attempt to wake her up. No response.

I hated this. I nudged her harder. Still no response. Finally after three more attempts and no signs that she was going to wake up, I sighed one last time and tried to plow a straight getaway path to the wide open door.

I picked up a fallen pillow and after mentally counting to three to gain more courage (or insanity...) I threw the pillow with enough force to make the sleeping beauty jerk, startled awake, and made a run for it.

To my sore ego, I managed to reach the kitchen before Chiyo caught up to me and showed me several reasons as to why it was best to never disturb her sleep. I ate breakfast with a bruised arm and a bump on my head, while Father and Mother looked a little too amused for my taste. Why would they find this amusing? This is a red alert, if you ever needed one, to show people that you should never get close to dangerous animals.

I look to my side to see Seth's eyes bearing straight into mine. A sliver of ice cold trepidation made me turn my head back to Takeshi and instead try and focus on the conversation he was having with Mother.

Something about an amusement park opening somewhere this year. Not interesting.

I let my attention fade to wondering, and simply ate my breakfast quietly.

* * *

That afternoon, when Mama was busy and Takeshi was out of the house, Elias came by. And I proceeded to tell Chiyo and her what Father had told me last night. In hindsight, telling Chiyo I ventured alone and without her at night was not the best of choices and Elias realization that I could easily move undetected at night made me face the wrath of a concerned seven year old.

Though their reactions to the actual information went from concerned for me to angered for me. Because Elias reasoned that if we were ever found, the first one they would go after was me. Then Elias laughed and said that they might as well come, because we'd kick ass.

I sweat dropped at Chiyo who, for the first time, agreed with something Elias had said.

Seemed like everything would be alright. For now.

"But Natsu... If there are seven of us... Where are the others?" Elias asks.

"Dunno." I answer. I hadn't actually thought about that. They could be in Japan or they could be spread all over the world by now. They could even not know they are different from other people.

_How would we know who they are or how to gather them?_

Granted, perhaps placing all the Storms together would just be painting a giant red target on our backs but... What if  _Vongola_  found the others first?

"Maybe they might just come looking for us?" Elias suggests.

Both Chiyo and I look at her incredulously.

"Elias, as if that would ever happen!" Both Chiyo and I exclaimed.

A flash of lightning cut through the sky. Both Chiyo and I jumped but what made us frightful was the expression on Elias' face.

"Never tempt fate. If I am right, and the others just appear by themselves, you guys are wearing ribbons in your hair for a week!" Elias states.

Chiyo and I turn to stone in our seats. We had just made a deal with a  _ **Devil**_.

* * *

So that small flash of lighting turned into a storm, and now Elias was sleeping over (you can imagine the face Takeshi made when Mama told him) because apparently she needed to comfort Chiyo and my sleeping in Chiyo's bed (like I hadn't done so for two years straight) was unacceptable. You can imagine  _my_  face when she said this.

So, if I was a baby pooping in diapers it was alright but now that I wasn't anymore it became something taboo? C'mon, Elias, try harder next time. Your excuse making is only slightly better than a guilty dog. That is to say, no one believes it. Though, Mama let her stay anyway.

Guess she was hoping that Chiyo would have more female influences in her life, and I (while looking like a girl) was proof that she spent more time with guys than girls. I would have laughed when Mama revealed she had thought of making Chiyo attend some dance classes so she could be more open towards her gender. Key words: Would have; hadn't Chiyo been behind me with a hand deceptively calmed and relaxed on my shoulder.

I was still not suicidal enough to laugh  _at_  Chiyo.

Anyway, that night was interesting to say the least. Chiyo, Elias and I played some of the games Mama had showed us, and Elias taught us a few more (I admit it was silly of me to try and speak swedish with no prior education) and when Father came to tell us to go to bed he had a goofy smile on his face. But that might've been because,  _somehow_ , the girls got me into a dress and were role playing me as their queen.

'Because I was their Temporale,' that was their excuse.

Really? There was the costume of a king or prince right there but you had to dress me up as a queen?

I sighed and left them to their antics, asking Father to help me out of the damned thing. _I would never live this one down..._

* * *

January passed rather quickly after that. Takeshi resumed his baseball club practices and was ecstatic at the chance to belong to an actual baseball team once he started primary school. Elias had a few more sleepovers that month and she brought over her Grandma once.

Why? Her Grandma recognized the story I was hearing in my dreams as the french song called 'À la claire fontaine'. And she even brought me a tape that had the song sung on it.

Chiyo was left to play by herself that day.

I honestly spend that day on autopilot because my mind was elsewhere. As soon as the first chord of the song began the blackness that first appeared during Elias recital encroached upon my sight.

And when it vanished, I was left with the vision of a beautiful young girl sitting on a garden bench reading a book. She couldn't be any older than thirteen years old, her long pink hair had curls in it and cascaded down from her shoulders. Her skin was rosy and her eyes looked amused when she looked at me.

Well, not ' _me_ ' but whoever's eyes I was seeing through. She raised a white gloved hand and motioned me to come closer.

Her white dress was fluttering slightly in the wind and a white laced headband was on her head with a flower tucked between her ear and the headband. A beautiful red rose. Her shoes were a dark brown and she had white socks on under them. The dress ended slightly above her knees, revealing a scratch and a bruise on one of them.

Whoever she was motioning towards walked to her, a happy skip in their step. And as soon as the person reached her, a hand held out for her to hold, I could hear the person start to hum the same song as in my dreams.

The girl held the hand and faster than she could stop it, they were dancing. Or twirling round and round in this marvelous garden, the summer weather made the air warm and the fresh breeze made the leaves on the trees rustle. Flowers of all colors seemed to bloom brighter around the pair as they continued to twirl around.

"Perché sempre cantare la stessa canzone?" (Why do you always sing the same song?) The girl asks. Her voices is like singing birds, chirping, happy and amused.  _Free..._

"Perché è mia canzone." (Because it's my song.) A voice answers. This one is light hearted and soft, a boy who still has not reached a more mature age.

His answer brings a smile to the girl's face. She laughs and then she starts singing.

"À la claire fontaine,

M'en allant promener" She sings, her voice is so warm.

The world around me  _shimmers_.

"J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle

Que je m'y suis baigné" The boy continues, his speech is much more precise than that of the girl. His voice is happy, grateful and so loving.

"Il y a longtemps que je t'aime. Jamais je ne t'oublierai." They both finish.

And they laugh and continue to twirl around, their laughter continues and echoes, the same as those last words.

And as the light starts to fade again, I barely notice as more people, start to walk towards the pair. Laughing and smiling and talking happily.

Between the soft echoes of their singing and laughter, somewhere along their twirls and dance steps, I was lulled to sleep. My eyes once again opened, this time to the afternoon sky, I was laying on the floor of the playroom. A sound to my right made me turn my head.

Chiyo was playing with some lego blocks at the table. And with my position from the floor, with the light making my sight awful, I vaguely recognize an outline around Chiyo. Almost like a shadow, the figure of the same pink haired girl smiles back at me.

"Are you awake now, Natsu?" A voice startles me.

I look down from the vanishing figure to Chiyo's slightly smiling face. Which quickly turns to confusion when I jump up and press the restart button on the plastic radio player thingy so it would restart playing the song.

And just as the first chords started playing I made Chiyo stand up and twirl around as well. She was really confused but she must've seen something on my face because she let me continue pulling her around.

My eyes turned from their normal sea colored blue into a warm and distant orange for a moment, before settling again. While Chiyo's turned dark blue and then settled for a pink-purple gaze. Which vanished as soon as the song ended. Returning to their simply bright pink color.

And I smiled at her, letting the figure shimmer out of sight, hopefully content that I had not forgotten.

_Neh, Chiyo..._

_**This is not the first time we have met, is it?** _

* * *

February came in and out of the window faster than I could notice. The weather was calming down from cold to mildly humid. We could see the first buds of leaves and flowers appear meaning spring was bound to be around the corner.

I did notice that Chiyo was looking confusedly at me whenever I sat by her with a goofy smile on my face, humming the song over and over again. Recalling that vision or dream that now lulled me to sleep as soon as I layed in bed.

Takeshi found it funny at first and even engaged in twirling around the room attached to either Chiyo or Mama's legs but I'm sure he didn't realize half the reason as to why it made me feel so happy. Honestly it felt as if I had discovered something about me that I had forgotten for a moment there. But that brought up the question:  _What exactly was I forgetting?_

Tried as I might I never got past the first memory of opening my eyes to gaze at Mother, and then at Chiyo. But any further than that was blurred. I vaguely recalled hearing a voice, and speaking to someone but it's all mixed in a great blob on nonsensical things.

So, I tried a different approach. I tried to recall those strange voices instead. The faded echoes that once pursued me in my dreams. The nightmares and distorted memories that, honestly, simply didn't fit this life. For example...

Who was  _ **A**_?

I seemed to remember things about him, or was it a her?

A her? But that's just... weird. I'm a boy, not a girl. And seeing Chiyo, I can be certain of that fact, even if my looks could definitely pass off as female looking. I was so going to kick the gene pool for making me look more like Mama than Father. I was going to be as tall as Takeshi, but was stuck with more softer features and light completion. Though my skin was still slightly tanned, just a tad lighter than Father's.

My hair was messy, a rat's nest when I had enough hair for that, but still easy to comb and to style. And I had a preference for longer than average hair. All in all, I was confused and suspicious.

And how I dealt with my confusion?

I ignored it. Sooner or later I would find out, probably, so there was no need for me to worry about it.

_**Besides, what's the worst it could be?** _

A chill scrawled down my back.  _I may have jinxed myself..._

* * *

As I was saying, time was speeding up. February and March became the time for spring cleaning, throwing away old things and buying new ones, and one of these new things happened to be two smocks with name tags and a pair of identical yellow hats. A lot of new bags (because in Preschool you had to have a bag for everything) and Takeshi got a new uniform.

I had to admit seeing Takeshi wearing a pair of black shorts with suspenders and a cute little white shirt with a tie and a slightly over-sized black jacket made me squeal. And the little black shoes and incredulous expression on his face had nothing to do with it.

He got the black hardcover backpack he had been begging for for ages, and spent the rest of the afternoon customizing everything with baseball stickers and charms. Chiyo and I, however, were more interested in seeing Mama stitch our names to our respective hats and then attach a tag with our name to all of our belongings. This time Chiyo's also had sushi rolls on it.

And we got to pick a mascot of sorts to hang on our backpack (the ones we used in the hospital) so it would be easier to identify. And that was how Chiyo ended up with a white serpent charm and me with a cute fox one.

I swear I've acquired a new passion for foxes. They are so cute!

...

You did not just read that.

I repeat. You did not just read me saying the word even  _Chiyo_  has a vengeance against.

Elias stopped by to give us a preview of her second year uniform, apparently in her school, you got a new sakura petal on the school emblem (which had a leafless tree) so when you finished primary school you could show off your sakura tree. And her's already had a second petal. Her uniform wasn't very different from Takeshi's, except hers was a skirt instead of shorts and her shirt was a blouse, it also had knee-length socks but the shoes were the same.

And she had a red backpack with a sun and flowers and bees decorating it. Yeah, Elias was a very spring loving person.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Grandma Falk— Elias was starting to elbow us if we did not call her Grandma, well... Grandma too— had managed to get us a teacher (or teachers, I didn't quite catch that) to teach us how to play our instruments. And by our instruments, I refer to the pint sized harp and cello that Dr. Einar Falk gifted as a spring gift. Such a thing doesn't even exist...

But I wasn't going to refuse Elias, I value my life, and Chiyo had hearts in her eyes when she caught sight of the harp.

Who was going to tear those two apart? Not me, that was for sure.

So now, after preschool, which ended just before lunch, Grandma would pick us up and feed us and then take us to our new music lessons. Wow, our schedule was getting full. Not that I minded it too much, I was sure I had finished each puzzle thrice blindfolded as I already knew the shapes of each piece.

Now we just had to wait for April to arrive. Speaking of April, it would be Father and Takeshi's birthday. I needed to get a gift for them.

I laughed as I remember Father's face when I ' _reenacted_ ' the role of a sushi-maker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song À la claire fontaine is one of my favorites, and if you hear the Painted Veil version, it's beautiful.  
> I copied the first section of the song:
> 
> À la claire fontaine, (At the clear fountain,)  
> M'en allant promener (While I was strolling by,)  
> J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle (I found the water so nice)  
> Que je m'y suis baigné (That I went in to bathe.)  
> Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (So long I've been loving you,)  
> Jamais je ne t'oublierai (I will never forget you.)
> 
> While the song has more romantic appropriate meanings I'm not so sure if I want that. Yes, I let you all get this cute moment of fluff and to let you all Natsu/Chiyo shippers have a cookie, but I'm not particular fond of that pairing.


	22. Part I - Chapter 21

You know... I think that, for a very advanced almost three year old, this doesn't look that bad. I mean, the clouds look like demented sheep and the sun is a creepy triangle and it's green, I grabbed it from my right viewpoint (what else was I expecting to happen?), the ground seems uneven and the trees look like noodles. My stick figures surely have seen better days and my coloring abilities are equal to a newborn foal walking.

That is to say, my 'Happy Birthday' card looks like God's mistake in-person. Meh, he'll like it. I added this silver (I hope) knifes and sushi rolls stickers on the cover. And I wrote the kanji for my name (I'm good at least for something) with only minimal effort.

And Chiyo's looks worse than mine, so that definitely boost my confidence in it.

I mean, what was she expecting to happen with only a tub of glue and sprinkles? A masterpiece? You'd have better chance using noodles.

Anyway, me and Chiyo had decided to make our own birthday present for Father, for the first time, by ourselves. So we were sitting cross-legged at the table in the playroom while Takeshi was doing the finishing touches in his excellently (i.e poorly) wrapped present. He was honestly trying to make the store bought plastic trophy (A golden chef hat) look like it wasn't exactly what it was. I was confuse at whether or not to applaud his determination or laugh at the shear futility of the act.

I mean...  _At least try to put it inside a box first._

But that's Takeshi for you, so it's already a normal and uneventful occurrence. I actually wonder what his preschool teacher was seeing when she wrote on his report card that Takeshi was a ' _brilliant_ ' student. If I remember correctly Takeshi had said a circle was square in his first Preschool requested homework.

Certainly they were not looking for intelligence and levels of rationality, because I was sure that Ryohei had commented that his report card said he was an 'Active and exuberant boy' while I was sure that the correct definition was 'hyperactive and tone-deaf'.

Speaking of Ryohei... I actually hadn't seen him at all since I left the hospital. Him and that black haired kid, who I forgot once again to ask his name, I wondered what they are doing...

Cue mental picture of Ryohei being Extreme and Hibari 'bitting' someone to death...

I sweat-dropped. Up to no good, no doubt in my mind.

I pondered about that for two more seconds before shrugging it off. It would not affect me in any way so I might as well ignore it. I look to the side to see Chiyo trying to make something salvageable of her card.

"Need help?" I asked, a faint amused air around me.

She glared at me, though no fire behind those eyes, before shoving the card in my direction. A pout on her lips.

I smiled at her. I might not have enough courage to say she's cute to her face but, while she thankfully still does not know how to read my mind, my unspoken mental words do that for me. Carefully examining the sprinkled card I concluded that this needed an extreme makeover. And I knew exactly what I needed to do. Picking up the children's safety scissors I carefully cut out forms out of another colored sheet of paper, and then proceeded to flood the rest of Chiyo's card with glue and sparkles (in that order) so I could glue the piece of paper with the shapes cut out.

It looked like the sparkles were the inside of the shapes and the rest of the sparkled mess was covered by the colored paper. Genius level of makeover.

I gave the restored card back to Chiyo. A look of surprise and awe on her face as she accepted it, which quickly turned to a sour look of respect when she realized I was smiling at her again. I guess she started to dislike my smile (the 'OMG you should see you cute face!' smile) because it made me look that much more similar to Takeshi. And even I admit that when Takeshi smiles at you, depending on the situation, you are either unnerved by it or terrified.

And I flushed Takeshi's collectors edition trading cards, I know his 'You-are-dead' and 'Start-running' expression.

I hoped I would learn how to do that one day. Hopefully before Chiyo does. Or if she does... Then I hope to have grown immune to it by then.

* * *

Father's birthday was a week ago, it went as well as you'd expect with the trouble trio of children as offspring, both of our cards were received with smiles on our parents faces while Takeshi tripped two steps after revealing his gift and face-planting on the floor. I may have or may have not tripped him as a dare. We'll never know, it's one of those life mysteries that make good stories on New-Years Eve when you're among friends and hope to embarrass your poor brother.

But that is not the thing that topped this month's event. No,  _this_  is what topped everything.

I was standing, in front of a pastel colored building, holding Chiyo's hand as we gazed wide-eyed at the crying and snot-nosed kids around us. Takeshi had already been sent to his school (a block or so away from here) by Father so we were alone with Mama here.

Speaking of Mama...

I look over my shoulder to see her standing on the entrance of the Preschool with tears in her eyes as she waved at us. And subtlety made a motion to keep walking. I lean closer to Chiyo and whisper to her:

"This is Preschool?"

"I believe so. I am shocked." She answered in a clipped tone of voice.

Honestly I had to agree with her. Why were all this kids crying? It made it seemed like they were never going to see their parents again, and 1st year of Preschool ended before lunch (after which Grandma would come pick us up) so it would really only be like five hours or so in here.

Deciding to leave this drama scene behind I started walking, with Chiyo closely behind me (I needed moral support if I was going to get through this day), to the classroom that had a big red circle on it. And the bold kanji for 'Welcome' on in.

And you know, I was under the impression that nothing could make me gawk more after the overly-emotional display at the building's entrance. How wrong I was...

As soon as we stepped into the room we were faced with a relatively short woman with the most colorful display of mismatching clothes ever. Not even with my only colorblind eye open would I ever dress myself like that. She had a bear printed apron on and a horrible bear eared hat on her head, a small tag on her apron read: 'Miss Kumaru'.

For those who do not know, 'Kuma' means bear. Which would make her apron and hat a symbolism to her name. And that was just wrong...

Unfortunately I was uprooted from my near auto-pilot moment of introspective when she noticed the two of us standing at the door. Her face twisted into this big smile, which made her look like a child-eating witch. Up close, she wore too much perfume with the scent of honey (could you please stop with the bear references?) and her face had way too much makeup.

All in all... a frightening sight.

"Ah! Look at who we have here! What a cute pair of friends!" The woman, I was not going to refer to as a teacher until she proved she could fit into the role, spoke.

Her voice was a bit too shriek-y for my tastes. Though I guess if her shrieks were anymore high-pitched, we might just scare the bear out of her for the building to collapse.

Oh wait... Is it too early start making bear puns against her? I might make this one of my special qualities along with Chiyo.

I'd like to see if the woman is smart enough to realize what we were doing...

"And who might you two be?" The woman asked us.

"Yamamoto Natsushi, and this is my sister Ritsushima Chiyo." I answered with a calm voice.

"Oh, wow! So well pronounced! Aren't you the cutest of gentlemen?" She commented.

My only response was to calmly smile at her and 'discretely' pull Chiyo away from her and start walking towards one of the tables in the back of the room. We chose one near a corner, the farthest from the woman's presence, and sat down like we were joined at the hip. That is too say we were sitting close enough to mutter between ourselves without any one else knowing.

I took this small moment of silence, as the woman looked expectantly at the door to welcome more children, to look around the room.

It was big and colorful, a soft and slightly worn carpet with pillows and small bean bags in the center, tables with four or six low stools were placed around the carpet and there was a big black board across the wall. Cabinets and cubbies (small cubicles), shelves and jacket hangers with our names written on them were placed on the side walls, with a glass door giving way for the playground outside.

I saw cork boards on the walls as well, most likely to serve as displays for the 'marvellous' drawings this whole years are tasked to produce. I asked both Ryohei and Takeshi and they both told me the teachers asked for a drawing every single day. But while we were on the matter of Takeshi...

"Takeshi lied?" I asked.

"Takeshi lied." Chiyo answered.

You see, Takeshi had told us that the Preschool teachers were the coolest and that they were the smartest. But we were also at fault here, I mean, who'd trust Takeshi to be a reliable narrator? The kid still tried to explain simple actions like swinging with 'You go like swoosh and then swish'. I pity the fool that tries to learn something from him.

I even find it surprising he understands the complex workings of baseball. But that may be because he's a laser-guided guinea-pig on the subject.

"What do we do? Takeshi said that we have the same teacher for three years!" I asked, starting to feel the terror of having the woman as our primary source of education in this place.

"Then she'll just have to be removed." Chiyo answers with the most calming of tones.

I look sideways at her. Chiyo... You can't possibly mean 'removed' as in 'removed', right? I'm surprised I'm feeling concerned for someone else other than myself, Takeshi and Elias...

Silently praying for patience and mercy, I tasked myself with finding a solution to this problem, without having to resort to traumatizing a preschool teacher. Nor committing a crime. Maybe I could find a way to somehow convince Mama and Father to let us stay at home instead of going to preschool? Or just skip a year? I'm pretty sure if we got out of this age group we'd be safe from the woman.

Nodding my head with resolution I set my head down on my crossed arms on the top of the table and wait for the rest of the kids to come in to the classroom.

* * *

So after what looked like an eternity, more like five minutes, other kids started entering the room. Some still crying and even one whose mother had to carry him in, all holding their bags with a death grip like they were entering a lion's den. And considering our 'teacher'... this would be a fight for their sanity.

I noticed that there weren't that many kids in this class, comparing the number to the ones in my brother's class, and I wonder why.

The class itself wasn't very impressive either. More than a third were boys and the relative lower number of girls was huddled together and whispering and making disgusted faces at the rest of the boys.

Oh, yeah... They still have the belief that all boys have cooties, don't they?

Luckily for me, Chiyo must've already caught mine so there was no chance that would get between us.

Unfortunately, me and Chiyo together just had to caught their attention because a) Like I said so many times, blue eyes are not that common here; and b) because pink eyes and blond hair are even less common.

That being said there were interested gazes on us, that made me and Chiyo want to crawl under a rock for three years and come out when we had to go the Primary School. Still can't believe they'd willingly put kids through this kind of torture.

And then everything went from bad to worse when there was a knock on the door, just as the woman was about to make her introduction. And guess who came in?

A boy, short and with a rat's nest of red curls for hair, clothes way too smartly dressed to make a good impression on three year olds, and a pair of bright red rimmed glasses.

Oh, and green eye that blazed  _ **blue**_  as soon as they caught sight of mine.

_Elias had cursed us..._

* * *

I was swearing a storm (no pun intended) inside my head while Chiyo looked absolutely constipated, and the kid looked amazed/terrified for some reason. The woman walked towards him and told him to sit in the nearest table so she could introduce herself, and then she said she had a surprise for us.

Oh, I can't wait... Is it your immediate retirement?

"Hello to you all, my name is Miss Kumaru, call me Kuma-sensei, alright?" She says with a sugary smile.

"Hai! Hello, Kuma-sensei!" The kids answered.

"No." You can guess who said this.

"Okay, now let's all be friends with one another, right?"

"Hai, Kuma-sensei!" The kids answered.

" _No_."

"And you want to know what the surprise I have for you is?" The woman asked.

"Yes!" Cue gleeful answers.

" _ **No**_." This time I joined in. God only knows what she was about to do.

"We are going to play a game! Let's all stand up and make a circle around sensei." She told us.

Instantly all the kids in the classroom stood up and went up to the woman. Me and Chiyo did not move from our seats.

"Hey, you two, c'mon. Don't need to be shy!" The woman laughed," We are all friends here!"

I was tempted to say that weren't and that we just didn't want to go there. And that it was just our self-preservation skills that were telling us to stay away...

But the woman was not backing out and after five minutes of 'coercing' us to stand up me and Chiyo joined the circle of madness. I was so going to kick Takeshi where the sun didn't shine. If Chiyo hadn't done it already by the time he got home.

"Alright you, now I'll say a letter and the person who has a name starting with that letter will raise their hands, okay? I'll then choose one of them to introduce themselves, after that the person then chooses a letter and the game repeats alright?" The woman explained,"Of course, after having introduced yourselves there's no need to raise you hand again."

"Hai, Kuma-sensei!" The children chorused.

I was beginning to have an headache. And this time it was not because of my odd eye.

"Let's start then, T!"

Two hands raised.

"You there." The woman said.

"Susuki, Tatsuki. I'm three years old and I like ice-cream!" The boy answered.

"Very good, Tatsuki-chan!" The woman praised," What letter do you choose?"

"K!" The boy answered.

A hand lifted.

"My name is Kita, Mizumi. I am three years old, I like to draw!" The girl answered, needing no prompts as she was the only one with that name,"R!"

Chiyo and another kid raised their hands, Chiyo with much more reluctance.

The girl pointed at Chiyo almost instantly, guess Chiyo did attract a lot of attention.

"Ritsushima Chiyo, age two, I like doing puzzles." Chiyo said, in a clipped tone,"Y!"

I raised my hand with four other people. Of course Chiyo them pointed at me.

"Yamamoto Natsushi, age two, I like... I like my family!" I answered, "M!"

I then pointed at a random kid and let my attention fade slightly. Until I heard the name of the red haired kid.

"O-o... Oshiro, Rentaro! Age three, I like robots!" The kid almost shouted out, his eyes closed and what had what seemed to be a nervous tic of pulling at the hem of his sleeve," N!"

And that was that. The 'game' went on and on while me and Chiyo focused on the recently dubbed 'Oshiro Rentaro'. He was obviously a nervous and fidgety kid but somehow that seemed to fit him. Except that he was trying to avoid looking at us, quite unsuccessfully too. His eyes, even if he was trying not to, were locking into our forms over and over again.

By the time the game ended, I quickly grabbed Chiyo and rushed to his side. I was not giving the kid a chance to escape, quite really his eyes hadn't blazed again but Chiyo had been the same (Not sure about Elias, since she gave me no time to find out) and if he was a Storm, well... I might need to keep the kid safe.

"Hey, Oshiro, right?" I asked as I stood in front of him. He was older than me but I still topped him in height, his head reached my nose. Hell, even Chiyo was taller than him and she only reached slightly above the top of my ears.

"Y-yeah... And you are Yamamoto, right?" The boy asks.

"Yes, but call me Natsushi or Natsu, if you ever meet my brother then that would just be confusing." I answered," Oh, and this is Chiyo. She's my sister."

"S-sis-sister? But... But y-you ha-have di-different na-names." The boy managed to stutter out.

"No matter, she's still my sister. Oh, and I almost forgot." I said, a calculating glint in my eyes," This is Seth." I pointed down at his feet.

The huge snake was circling slowly around his ankles.

Oshiro promptly turned pale as a ghost.

"Aha~... So that's why you were scared. You can see him." I deduced, a slight impressed tone to my voice," Don't worry, he doesn't bite."

"H-he?!" Oshiro said with a high-pitched voice.

"Yes, he. His name is Seth." Chiyo stated.

"Relax, Oshiro. You're attracting too much attention, c'mon... We can talk at our table." I said.

Turning around I managed to hide from his sight a smile that made me look very similar to a black haired boy I knew. Chiyo did see it, but her matching grin did nothing to stop me.

* * *

At the table, after the while it took to calm the red haired boy, me and Chiyo were trying to explain (in an abridged version) what Storms were. Or at least Chiyo was explaining, I was still dopey on the feeling of a mixture of frost and a cold spring shower, and the sense of completeness increased. I must've been smiling rather insanely because Oshiro instantly asked what had happened, and why my eyes glowed orange.

And Chiyo explained, although she herself was unsure as to why they glowed orange, out of all colors. And when I finally came to, the first thing I asked was if he had always been more aware than the rest of people.

His answer?

He had been not. He actually only showed this amount of awareness about a year ago.

On August 18th.

Another piece to a puzzle I was not sure if I would ever complete. So many information but no actual order.

"S-so... we have l-like... su-superpow-wers?" Oshiro asks, his stutter less present.

"Not sure. Father said we might've to learn how to control them first. And even then, if you unlock them that will just send people after you." I answer," But that's why, I talked with you, might as well inform you so you don't go running around blind, ne Oshiro?"

"Rentaro... Or T-taro." The boy suddenly said.

I blinked at him before I smiled.

"Okay, then Taro, but you'll have to call me Natsu!" I say.

"And call me Chiyo, no -chan unless you don't value your life." Chiyo added her two cents.

Taro sweat-dropped, a lopsided smile on his face, unsure of how to react.

"Al-alright... Natsu and Chiyo." He said.

I smile at him before placing an arm over his shoulders.

"So that makes us four... Three more Storms to find and Elias will have our heads!" I gleefully recall to Chiyo.

She glares daggers at me.

"Hm... E-elias?" Taro asks, confused.

"Oh, Chiyo didn't tell you?" I ask," We already know another Storm besides us. Her name is Elias, I'm sure you'll meet her soon enough."

"Start praying for your safety..." Chiyo mutters.

"C'mon, Chiyo, don't scare the new guy!" I 'admonish' Chiyo. The corners of my mouth twitching upwards.

Taro's eyebrow tics.

"... Just what are you guys?" He asks in a tone that says 'how will I put up with you?'.

Well... If he already has that tone, twenty minutes in after meeting us then he'll fit right in.

School just started to look that much better.

"Alright, class! How about we all play a game together?" The woman asks, her tone insufferable," How about we do the 'Friendship Circle'?

"Oh, please God... How do I  _bear_  with this?" I ask, in a faux (not really faked) tone of desperation.

"This is un- _bear_ -able..." Chiyo smiles.

Taro looks startled at us before continuing.

"Y-yes, this i-is a-a-a  _grizzly_  s-sit-situa-ation, isn't i-it?" He smiles a bit.

Both me and Chiyo blink before turning to him.

For a moment we were just surprised, but then when realization hit...

"You are going to fit in just right with us..." The two of us said, twin grins of mischief on our faces.

He just sweat-dropped and edged a bit away from us, at least as far as he could with my hands gripping his shoulders. Oh, well... He would come around.

* * *

The day ended better than we had imagined it would be. Nap time turned into pillow fighting time when I hit Chiyo and the kids around us took that as an invitation to do the same. The best part?

The woman had been out of the classroom so when she came back me and Chiyo had already made a dive for out blankets and pretended to already had fallen asleep, so we did not get blamed for any of it. Taro was still having trouble stop laughing when we told him (he had to go to the bathroom so that's why the woman had left in the first place).

And then when it was time to leave we met Taro's mother, and what a huge belly she had, along with one of Taro's older siblings. The poor kid had to share a bedroom with two brothers and a sister because they had recently moved to Namimori and most of the house was still as mess.

And I know from experience that sleeping in an overcrowded small space is not that nice.

I did ask why they had recently moved into Namimori, his mother's answer?

"Oh, it was the strangest thing! Darling Joushi got a call one day to work on the department store near the market, we didn't even know how they learned about my husband but the pay was so much better than his last so we quickly set out to move here!"

I felt a chill go down my spine. Was someone trying to purposely contain the Storms in a single town? Was this someones doing or just a quirk of fate? A mere coincidence?

I don't trust in coincidences... This is not normal. But when is it ever?

I waved Taro and his mother goodbye and managed to catch the curious gaze of his older brother before the red haired boy started teasing his younger sibling. Poor Taro...

I turned around with Chiyo and went to find Grandma, she was doing to take us to our first ever music practice and we were the definition of excited. It was not that hard to find here, it was the only elderly woman there with the expression of displeasure at seeing so much sobs and shrieks of realization they would have to return tomorrow. Jeez... kids are plain weird.

We strut towards the woman and she smiles down at us, a appraising spark in her eyes as she takes in our composed state of mind and posture (have I told you that she soon began to implement the teachings of standing up straight after we chose to start playing?) before leading us towards the house where out teacher moved in.

Wow, lots of people moved into the town recently, haven't it?

As we were walking away from the school I feel someone's gaze on me. I turn around as if it burned and instantly started to look around to see who it was. But by the time I turned back there was no on there and the people and kids walking away from the school were already far off in the distance.

I frowned but dropped the matter, but I had to rub my eyes when it focused on a sparkling glow of feathery thin string of flames that made it itchy.

Had I payed better attention I'd have followed that string with my eye, and I'd see that it lead directly towards a tree. A tree whose branches was currently hiding a black haired youth, piercing golden eyes following the two young children as they walked away, and the slithering snake coiled around the trio.

A angry look passed over his eyes before a new one took place.

A purple blaze made them shimmer as they turned sad and... hopeful?

* * *

The walk towards the teacher's house was not really that long. The house was white with a brand new door made of dark wood that contrasted with the white perfectly, a name tag made of stone was placed beside the mailbox, the name read Katō, and the metal gate was opened which made it possible to see the blooming flowers and plants that surrounded the front garden.

A decorative wind chime sounded near the door, it was made of wood and had the carvings of birds in it.

The door opened so quickly it made me jump, Chiyo instantly look a guarded position slightly behind me while Seth raised his head and opened his mouth, flashing pure white fangs that were the length of my little finger.

A black haired woman walked out of the house, her short hair was cut in a bob like hair cut similar to Chiyo's but much shorter and she had sharp brown eyes that made me feel like I was on trial. They assessed every move I made and my reactions and when they turned towards Chiyo and saw her frown I was surprisingly protective placing myself in front of her and frowned.

She looked surprised for a second or two before grinning like the cat got the canary.

"When you called me and told me there were two kids you wanted me to take over I thought they would be older. You know I don't baby kids..."

"Oho, you don't need to baby these two. If you could make them part of the recital a year and a half from now I'd really appreciate it." Grandma smiled at the woman.

A year and a half? Playing in a recital?

"So soon? Ah, you have high expectations from them? I see, then give me a month to finish basic training and the rest will be to break whatever notions they have inside their heads about music being easy." The woman laughed.

Grandma smiled once more and pushed both me and Chiyo in the direction of the house door. She was throwing us to lions here... And she was looking way too gleeful at doing it to make me feel safe. What was with women and their angelic facades and the demonic entities they swiftly changed into at a drop of a hat?

This was Grandma we're talking about here! The kind and gentle old lady that Elias simply adores and who chatted calmly with us on the way here! I was experiencing a major reality shock here, so it was really no surprise I was quickly ushered inside along with Chiyo and only realized that we were alone with the woman a minute too late.

The house was nicely decorated, not gonna lie, but the ambient inside it made it look other worldly. There were music trophies everywhere and a huge shelf buried under so many medals that it made my eyes widen. Just who was teaching us music?

The woman lead us into the living room where there was two instruments waiting for us, each with a small thingy that held one of those music books with the weird symbols like the one's Elias had showed us before.

The cello was made of dark gleaming wood and the strings were perfectly smooth and straight. The bow was waiting near the stand and I felt the desire to pick it up instantly when my eyes fell on them. Chiyo was the same, her eyes glowed when the harp made of more golden like wood sparkled in the sunlight, a stool beside it and the strings were color coded.

The teacher saw our looks and grinned with new found interest in the two of us.

"I'll make introductions short, my name is Katō Kazue and I am 37 years old. I have played many instruments in my life, namely the cello, harp and violin, I have a preference for string instruments. I was a past orchestra member before I got sick and stopped playing. I became a teacher when my maestro requested I taught his daughter."

"My name is Yamamoto Natsushi, I want to learn how to play the cello, I am two years old though I will be three in July." I introduced myself through auto-pilot.

"My name is Ritsushima Chiyo, I want to learn how to play the harp, I also am two years old but my birthday is in June. I am Natsu's older sister by a month." Chiyo said, adding the last bit as an after thought.

The teacher quirked a brow but smoothed out the expression quickly enough and started explaining both instruments. Her words passed right through me, my mind going around in circles behind by blank eyes.

Sounds of voices and music echoed somewhere in a far corner of my head. The echo was so slowly lulling me away from reality that it was a startling sound that sent the fragile balance of it to come crashing down. Kazue-san seemed to have caught on that I was unresponsive an inattentive to her words because she turned to me with a feral-like smile and pointed at the cello.

"I just explained how the notes on both instruments. Chiyo-chan here is going to be left last because the harp requires more finess than the cello to correctly play the notes. As such, would you be so kind as to play the first few notes for me?" Kazue-san asked.

Chiyo gave me a stare and I had to suppress a flinch when I clearly recognized the as 'busted'. I walked stiffly to the cello all while continuously chanting a mantra of 'I'm so dead' and 'I can't do this'.

My insecurities about knowing how to do this correctly, because I was certain I hand't heard a word of it, was becoming lead in my arms and legs, just as it became ice inside my chest that made my breathing shallow. I was afraid to mess this up. What would Kazue-san do or say? Would she refuse to teach the two of us?

It would disappoint Grandma and Elias, and Chiyo will be so sad about no longer learning how to play the harp or at least not from this woman who seems to really know her bussiness. I was beside the cello way too quickly in my opinion, my throat felt parched and closed. It made it hard ti breathe and my hear beat was thundering in my ears and chest.

I sat on the stool beside the cello and picked up the bow. And then?

Quiet. It was like the whole world suddenly became mute, colors looked so faded like I was seeing everything with a sepia colored filters on one side and black and white on the other. A glow of dark blue and red took over the figures of Chiyo and Kazue-san. My breathing was barely there and my heart beat went unheard to even myself. My eyes glowed orange and sparked with green strings of lightning, as I held the cello closer to me and poised the bow to the cords I was suddenly very far away from reality.

The smells of summer and the quiet hubbub of people talking was slowly becoming more present. I could almost feel the warm sunlight against my skin, the wood under my fingers and the weight of the cello against my shoulder. But it was different somehow... I was not scared. I was not nervous.

I felt... light. And oh-so free...

And my hand moved before I was aware that it did. The notes slowly forming a melody as the hubbub then faded completely. I blinked and I was no longer in the living room of the music teacher. No, I was in a beautiful garden, people seated in fancy tables all wearing such expensive dresses and suits it made me confused and oddly proud.

My eyes were drawn to the pink haired girl near the edge of the garden, in one of the back tables, wearing a perfectly astonishing lilac dress and a bow tying her long hair in a beautiful braid.

Beside her was another girl with short blond hair, fluffy curls decorated with a pearly headband and a white/cream dress with half sleeves. The girl had hazel colored eyes but they blazed  ** _yellow_  **when she gazed at me. And she smiled with such caring and loving expression it threw me out of loop.

And coming from behind the blond girl came a younger girl, barely looked to be eight years old, with caramel brown eyes and jet black hair tied in two pigtails, each with a pink bow decorating it. Wearing a light pink summer dress with white satin bows and white mary-jane shoes, she looked up at me with a pout and a slightly annoyed expression but her eyes blazed  ** _red_**  with a look of admiration.

And then I looked from the girls and saw a duo of boys, one pure white hair and light green eyes while the other had black hair and red eyes, one with an expression of calm and serenity and the other looked about to swear like a sailor. Both wore identical suits though with different colors. And their eyes also blazed with the bright colors of  ** _blue_  **and  ** _purple_  **respectively.

I saw something from the corner of my eye and focused on a white dress shirt clad youth, he looked about fifteen years old with dark brown hair tied in a low pony tail and green eyes smiling at me, they blazed with a electrifying  ** _green_  **light but it just made his eyes all the more lighter. I gazed at the youth and felt my chest swell with a feeling of longing. But as my eyes traveled to look around the teen, my breath stopped in my throat at the man beside the youth.

It was a overwhelming sight, for some reason that escaped my knowledge, and one that filled me with so much pride and adoration. I couldn't see his face or the face of the men around him but his golden hair was hard to miss.

As was his black cloak and presence. I felt myself smile and closing my eyes in contentment. A spark of light caught my attention in the dark of my mind.

I reached out for it. It was  _so_  close... Barely a finger away from my reach.

But just like that all the sounds disappeared, as well as the smell of summer and the sunlight. As quickly as I went into a dream-like state, I was back in the living room sitting on the stool holding the bow of the cello slightly away from the cords. My fingers ached and I was confused as to why before I heard applause.

Chiyo was staring wide eyed at me clapping with an astonished expression on her face. But the louder clapping came from Kazue-san, who was holding a camera carelessly in a loose hold and grinning all the more feral-y at me. Her eyes were positively frightening and I felt terrified as to why she was looking like that.

It was explained to me in four words. Who sounded like a life sentence for some reason...

"You are a prodigy."

I blinked.

"I'm a what?"


	23. Part I - Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter's left until Part II is: Three Chapter's to go!

_"You are a prodigy."_

_I blinked._

_"I'm a what?"_

"You, dear boy, are a prodigy. I told you to play the first notes on the cello and you jumped right over that and played the Minuet of Boccherini." Kazue-san answered, a grin on her face.

"What's the Minuet? And Bocch- what?" I ask, clearly confused. What the hell had happened when I blanked out?

"And you do not even know a thing about the cello? Granted you skipped notes and made quite a few mistakes regarding the proper way to play the cello but it was still recognizable! It's amazing!" Kazue-san continued to rant while gesturing wildly with her hands.

I turned to Chiyo, her eyes were still wide and strangely distant, there was a deeper color inside her eyes, the dark blue shadowing the bright pink. Seth was resting on top of her shoulders and was staring at me with a thoughtful expression that seemed highly uncharacteristic and strange on the big serpent.

Quietly Seth came off her shoulders and circled around me, catching the attention of Chiyo and snapping her off her trance. She instantly dimmed out Kazue-san's rants and walked to my side, whispering lowly to my ear.

"What happened? That was not  _you_ , was it?" She asked.

"I don't know! One minute I was freaking out because I had not paid attention and the next thing I know I'm in a party! There were so many people there... and a man with blond hair..." I answered, my words dying out as I cast more thoughtfulness into my words.

I had not talked to Chiyo about of my mystery encounters with disembodied voices, and shadows, or the cave and the water basin (this made me feel a shiver down my spine) and I certainly hadn't told her about my suspicions about having met Chiyo in another lifetime. The problem was, following that line of thought, could I have met that man before and would I meet him again?

Was everyone in that party someone that related to me somehow? If so then...

"The  _ **Storms**_..." My whisper caught Chiyo's attention instantly.

"What about them? Natsu what's wrong?" She asked, worry on her tone and murder in her posture. She was like a snake, coiled secretly in the ground but ready to spring into action.

"I saw them... at the party. They were all there... but it was not us. It was others, the past Storms, I believe. Chiyo... I saw the  _colors_." I muttered to her, and though I was taller I leaned into her for comfort.

"The colors?" She asked," You saw their eyes?"

"Yes, and they glowed and I felt my heart swell. They were right there, Chiyo! And I could almost see the love in their eyes... they were so warm..." I recalled, my heart felt longing now. It was weight and my head was coming back to the thought that if I continued to play I could see them again.

"What  _happened_  to them? Why are the Storms now being seen as nothing more than weapons? _What went wrong_?" I asked, my blue eyes locking onto Chiyo's pink ones, or well... one I saw pink the other was encased in the darkest blue color I could imagine. And there was thin red streaks hidden in it's depths.

"I don't know, Natsu." Chiyo answered. Her eyes shimmered before closing and she smiled at me a grin," Getting over all this sappiness, you just turned this introduction lesson into a discovery of a prodigy. How can I compete with that?"

She was joking, I could tell. There was no heat in her words and even if she glared at me right now, Seth curling around the two of us made her feelings pretty clear. So I was relaxed enough to joke back.

"Oh, how about I tell her you might be a prodigy too? It would make her day if you suddenly played the harp like a boss." I told her.

"Not a chance. I touched the harp earlier and no 'blank state of genius' happened on me. Let's hope it only does to you, I'd hate to be the one to tell Mama that her baby might be playing in a recital alone before his fifth birthday." She laughed.

"Touche. Mama is going to flip though..." I say, just the thought of Mother discovering I could play the cello moderately well (my only problems being not having full control over my movements and lacking finesse and height) without even knowing how to hold the bow properly ten minutes before.

"Oh, I'm sure Mama wouldn't react too badly. You might have to deal with Mama telling us constantly how her baby is growing too fast." Chiyo laughed again.

I cringed. Mother was so not going to take this in stride. And Chiyo's comments about how Mother was going to react were not that far from the truth, me being younger than Chiyo by a month meant I was the youngest out of all of us (I was younger than Taro too, since his birthday was in April) and Mother was a total Mother Bear in regards to her cubs safety.

But let's face it, with cubs like us, what were we expecting? Of course, she's going to freak out when Kazue-san or Grandma reveal my new aptitude to music.

And if I remember correctly from Grandma's explanation about the cello... The instrument is  _italian_...

_Mother is not going to be happy._

* * *

I'm confused. I honestly have given up on trying to make sense of my family.

The party I was currently observing from the sidelines was oddly entertaining, Takeshi was talking with his friends, trying to ignore Elias (which was not easy because his friends were staring at her), Chiyo was glaring at anyone who dared to coo at her dress, Rentaro was shying away from his brothers and sisters (the poor guy was being teased relentlessly) and Elias was beaming and flourishing under this whole attention.

_Me?_

I was sitting on a bench, outside of the whole social bubble, and was drinking a glass of apple juice. My blue t-shirt and tan shorts matched Chiyo's dress (tan with blue flowers) and we had the same sandals. My hair was growing steadily and I could finally have bangs again, which made Chiyo insist on having bangs also. They looked nice on her with the bob hair cut.

Elias was a complete opposite to her, having long hair that was starting to show a tendency to curl up at the tips, and was wearing pink and yellow. Taro was wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans but he was holding a box in his hands.

If you're wondering why there is a party happening right now, the answer would be because I'm a ' _prodigy_ '. Instead of being mad or super protective over the fact I had amazing potential for music, Mother was ecstatic. Jumping up and down while cheering and ignoring the fact my jaw hit the ground.

Like I said, I give up on trying to make make sense of all of this.

The bench creaks as someone sits beside me, the rat's nest of red hair signifying that Taro had managed to escape the merciless hands of his older brothers.

"Hey. So, tired of the party already?" I ask, trying to keep the grin out of my voice and face.

He glared at me, though there was no heat.

"How can you be so calm around this madness?" He asks.

"This is normal to me already." I answer.

"I don't know what's worse, the fact that you got used to this or the fact that I can relate to it." Taro sighed.

"Tell me about it..." I muttered.

He chuckled.

"What's with the box?" I ask him.

"Oh, I got you something." Taro answers, and starts opening the box.

"Why? If anything Chiyo's birthday comes first." I told him.

"It's not a birthday gift, I just thought you'd like it." Taro says," I made it."

And he takes out a plastic rectangular box with the words ' _Colors_ ' written with a black marker on the cover. He passed it over to me and I opened the box.

Inside there were white cards with figures (circles, squares, triangles, etc) that were colored in a single color with the name of said color written underneath it. I blinked at them before looking curiously at Taro.

"Chiyo told me that you had difficulty seeing colors through your right eye, I made this so you could perhaps identify the shades into actual colors." Taro explained," was it a bad gift? It's kind of stupid isn't it, sorry." He said with an unsure smile on his face, slowly curling into himself as I kept quiet.

"It's not a bad gift. And you have no need to apologize, I was just surprised. Thanks, Taro. It help a lot." I tell him, my hand resting on his shoulder to keep him from curling up even further.

He looked up at me and after searching something in my eyes, he smiled.

"Thanks, Natsu. You're a great friends, you know that?"

I heard his words and my mind was once again elsewhere.

A different boy was sitting beside me, his white hair was smooth and shoulder length, his bangs covered one of his eyes and he had a brown bonnet over his head. His green eye was shining blue and he was also smiling at me, but he was taller than me. Looking down with the same affection Takeshi would sometimes gaze at me with. To this boy I was his younger brother.

His dirt cream shirt and the slightly rundown green jacket, green shorts and the thin frame painted a complete different picture than the boy I had seen on the party before, but now that I really looked at him...

_**... He looked younger...** _

"Noi saremo sempre insieme, giusto?" A small voice asks the white haired boy. (We will always be together, right?)

"Ovviamente. Dove altro saremmo?" His voice answers me. (Of course. Where else would we be?)

His tone is mellow and warm, almost like a father's tone of voice. Steady and calm enough to show the example, yet ready to give a long verbal admonishment if we messed up.

"Nero ha detto che stavano pensando di lasciare ..." The small voice answers, his tone is as soft as a baby's. It hasn't reached two digits of age yet. (Nero said that they were thinking of leaving...)

"Nero può dire ciò che gli garba, questo non significa che stiamo lasciando." The older boy answers, smiling and ruffling my hair. (Nero can say whatever he likes, that does not mean we are leaving.)

"Veramente? Prometti ?" I ask, my voice is hopeful and my heart flutters with a feeling of happiness. (Really? You promise?)

"Naturalmente, ti prometto." The boy answers, his smile is so much brighter. (Of course, I promise you.)

His eyes burns bright blue as he looks fondly down at me. I feel myself smiling but as I got to answer something back to him, a loud bangs echoes down the alley.

My vision shifts to look at the alley entrance, a busy street could be seen through it. But the people shopping and talking were not happy or carefree at all. No, they were crying and screaming and running everywhere. Much like headless chickens.

I feel the older boy's arms circle around me and him trying to pull me closer into him. But as I go to say something to him, to help the people to warn them of something, another bangs follows the previous and I see  _red_.

_Dripping red..._

_So much red... like_ liquid _roses..._

I hear someone shout...  _Who is it?_

And the screams are so much closer than before...  _Who's screaming?_

Ah, I feel the wind on my face...  _Am I outside?_

Of course, I'm outside. _Where else would I be?_

_Weren't you going home?_

_Home...?_

_**"As-...!"** _

The scream blindly flashed through my head and echoed endlessly in it, like a gong of those ancient temples had just sounded, the sound was so loud. It made my head hurt.

_It hurts..._

_**You are slipping...** _

_What? No, I'm not. I'm..._

**_You are slipping..._ **

_I said I am not slipping! Won't you listen to me?! I am_ not _slipping!_

_**You** _ **are** _**slipping... Can't you remember?** _

_Remember what?_

**_Poor, pitiful soul... Can't you remember why you are here?_ **

_What are you talking about?_

_**Oh, you poor thing... You are slipping my dearest As-...** _

"Natsu!" Someone's voice startles me back into awareness.

This jumpstarted my brain again as I wildly looked around me to see where I was. Taro was still sitting next to me, his eyes were afraid and worried, Chiyo was hovering over me and looking over her shoulder back at the party to make sure no one noticed my little out-of-mind experience. Elias was kneeling in front of me, a hand on my forehead and a frown on her lips.

She looked every bit the role of doctor as both as her parents.

"He's warm but it's not a fever, at least there's that. Want to tell us what happened?" Elias asked, though her tone of voice made it certain that there was no other option than to tell her what happened.

"I had another one of the visions..." I began.

Chiyo and I had already told them what had happened last week when I played the cello for the first time, so we had began using terms to explain what was happening with me. Therefor, if I saw something while I was in my 'blank state' was considered a vision. Whatever I heard was then told to Elias so she could write it down and the four of us then tried to make sense of everything I had just experienced.

"It was about ' _me_ ' and there was the white haired boy from the party. But he looked way younger than before." I continued.

"You saw another party?" Elias asked, already having pulled a notebook from god-knows-where and was writing faster than I could read the kanji. At least for now.

"No, we were in an alley... It looked pretty poor. But there was a busy street there too." I answered.

"Okay, what were you doing in an alley?" Elias asked.

"We were talking. But I don't know what... They were talking too fast and it was not japanese." I answered, and I tried to not show any sign of frustration as I continued to not understand half of the stuff that my head sprouted.

"That's okay, Natsu. Can you remember any particular detail, or something that you can understand from the conversation?" Elias continued.

"I was afraid about something and he was calming me down. He was almost like an older brother... but they kept repeating ' _Nero_ ' in their conversation." I told them.

"Alright, that doesn't seem too bad. What scared you then? You looked like you had seen a ghost." Chiyo commented.

But she quickly bit her tongue when my eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat, I shivered though it was warm outside.

"Loud bangs... on the street. I heard someone scream and then there was red everywhere... It was so  _red_..." I muttered.

Elias dropped her notebook and hugged me, I had not realized I was crying until Chiyo cleaned my face with a napkin. She looked outraged but her glare was directed elsewhere than me, her eyes looked conflicted when they looked at me. Torn between wanting to hug me and hide me away in a tower, away from the world, or destroying half of the world's population to appease me.

I laughed a bit at that thought. Chiyo would certainly treat me like a barbarian Greek God if I asked her. Heck, she'd throw a party herself to celebrate me embracing the 'awesome' side of life with her. Hell, she might even invite the black haired kid to join us.

I hid the shiver down my spine as I hugged Elias.

It was not missed on me the fact that the scent of summer and the feeling of the sun shining down on my face was getting stronger as I hugged Elias closer. What did surprise me was the feeling of rain and the scent of spring of the contrasting feeling of ice in my skin as Taro patted me on the head.

So much like the white haired boy...

_'You are slipping...'_

What did it meant? Was I slipping away from reality? Was this a warning for me to stop having this visions?

But then why did it start mocking me for not remembering something. And remembering what, exactly? This just gets more and more confusing as time goes on.

But I remembering he also called me A.

As...-

As...- what? A and S don't make a full name. So what's missing?

"Are you okay?" Elias asked as she pulled away.

I nodded but was feeling a bit sad I had to let go of the warmth. Maybe Chiyo would be up to have me attached to her like a sloth?

No, she'd hit me over the head and call me annoying, and then she'd go make a puzzle and totally ignore me for the rest of the day.

* * *

No one noticed our little discussion of what my vision meant or what relevance it had at all, and the party continued and ended on a good note. The invited guests left after making me promise to one day play for them and to remember them when I became a worldwide known musician. Mother made dinner and we went to bed a bit earlier than usual because we were utterly exhausted.

So far my night seemed to go perfectly normal, right?

Wrong. At about midnight or so I woke up drenched in sweat and screaming into my pillow. Takeshi didn't wake up (thank heavens) so he didn't get to see my shaking form or the way that my eyes turned bright blue and blazed orange as I trembled in horror as I remembered my nightmare.

The woman sprayed out on the street, vendors turned into a macabre display of red. The shops destroyed and empty, their wares were thrown everywhere and there was no sound to be heard. It was quiet as deat-...

No, I could hear something. A shaky crying and sobbing coming from further away.

I slowly made my way to where the sounds came from. Desperately trying, and failing, to ignore the bright color painting the street. Or the way I stumbled over forms blurred by teary eyes and the way I had to step over scenes made for horror films.

But what I saw was even worse than the street I had just walked out of.

A little girl, maybe she was around five or six, wearing a white dress and brown shoes, or what were before a white dress and brown shoes. They were also painted red, as red as the woman lying at the girls feet.

_As red as the flame burning brightly on her forehead._

_As red as the color of her eyes._

Empty and torched husks of men surrounded the girl, smoke still coming from their forms and ash being taken away by the wind.

The girls black hair was fluttering in the wind, it was short and there was two pigtails tied with white ribbons in it. Her cries were barely audible and she was shaking like a leaf. My eyes were locked into her form but I could not say a word.

I couldn't say to her to close her eyes, to come over to me, that everything would be alright.

I was just standing there. Staring in horror as my mind tried to make sense of what had happened her.

But there was just possible answer to it, even if I tried to reason it was impossible.

The burned forms of the men carried the guns and knives that hurt everyone on that street, but it was the red, red fire that the girl was creating that ended them. The woman's red wound made it clear she had went down protecting the girl.  _A mother's attempt at making sure their child would see another day..._

"Storms sure are scary... No wonder everyone wants them in a battlefield, on their side of course." A voice speaks from behind me.

It's voice is like ice poured straight into my bones, I turn around as fast as lightning. The shadowy figure behind me is as tall as my father, maybe even taller, wearing a black cloak whose hood covered the upper half of it's face.

But it's smile was visible to all.

A grin that showed too much teeth to be considered mischievous and a aura around it that made me want to run th opposite direction, it was cold and calculating. It was nearing closer to me but I was frozen in fear at the mere sight of it.

Flashbacks of my body being held and thrown into the freezing cold waters of the dark basin were resurfacing and my breathing was getting more and more shallow. I tried to calm my racing heart but I couldn't get one straight thought into my head.

I was  _fearful_. I was  _terrified_. I was  afraid.

No matter which world you use, there is only one possible way to feel it. I was frozen in place as the shadow came straight at me. The girl's cries were soon drowned out by the deathly silence of the street, as she passed out from exhaustion.

"Oh, you remember me? Good! Then I won't have to remind you!" The shadow mocked with a tauting tone.

It was lighthearted but chilled like a steel knife pressed against your throat.

I remained silent. I wasn't sure if I could even make a sound at this point. I was shaking, my heart and chest were starting to hurt.

"Why so quiet? We're all  _friends_  here, right? After all, these are  _your_  memories, are they not?" The shadow continued to taunt.

_My memories? But this was not me... I am_ Natsushi _... not whoever this boy is._

"Good grief, no wonder they left you behind. Who'd want such a useless son?" The shadow mocked.

_What? What are you talking about?_

"Not even the ones that were supposed to look after you cared enough to come looking for you!" The shadow continued.

"And would you look at that! You can't even keep your equals safe!" The shadow pointed to something behind me.

I turned to look around on instinct.

The street was gone, as were the burned husks and the red painted scene. Instead there was a cage, rusty and made of crude steel. It was not a work of art, far from it, with a huge padlock and chains wrapped around the bars to keep it closed. Inside there wasn't even one threadbare piece of cloth, only a naked and small form of a girl.

Her blond hair was dirty, her skin was pale and smudged, wounds and bruises littered her form. Her eyes and face were sunken, her ribs were showing on her skin. Her hazel eyes were haunted and she was curled up on the cage's floor. Huge forms of men laughed and pointed at the girl, some were passing money between them as they kept shouting something.

"But don't worry,  _they_  are not weak, are they?" The shadow said.

The girl's form was still shaking and very much sickly looking, I was confused at how he could say that she was strong. She looked like she was dyi-...

No. This girl wasn't going to disappear. Her form was so contrasting to the one I had seen before but I could remember her from the party. She was younger here so this happened before the party took place but what was going on?

"And when they can't stand on their own two feet, you come in and rescue them, don't you?" The shadow whispered into my ear.

There was a loud thud and a door to the far end of the room was blasted clean off the hinges, two blurs of motion ran into the room. One had hair as pure as snow, the other had hair as black as coal. Eyes of green contrasting with the ones from before, these ones were cold and angry, not kind and caring. The ones of the black haired boy were downright frightening. Their red color was raging and blazing with the strongest sparks of fury I had ever seen.

A gun and a type of sword in his hands were being put to use as he cleanse the room of it's population. The white haired boy had a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back but the knife in his hand was surely the one that was scaring the men.

A loud bang filled the room again as a brown haired boy pulled the trigger the on the gun he was holding. It looked like a worn out version of a riffle but not quite like it. His brown hair was tied in a pony tail and he was wearing a dark shirt with black pants, his eyes were blazing green.

While a pink haired girl cut down anyone coming her way using a pair of knives that made sure to hit their intended targets. Her eyes blazed dark blue and a thick curtain of smoke-y mist was expanding across the room.

But the most extraordinary sight was that of a black haired boy, the same age as the pink haired girl and one or two years younger than the brown haired boy, his eyes were the purest blue color that I have ever seen. They blazed a mixture of purple, blue and green, green lightning formed around his hands and hair like a crown of electricity.

His white shirt had a red string knot around the neck. No weapons were on his hands but the mere sight of him made the rest of the people stop and stare.

The look in the black haired boy's eyes... It was like gazing at a  _demon_.

There was no  _mercy_  in them. No second chance about to be given. In those eyes there was only wrong and only one way to right that wrong.

He lifted his hand, green glow forming on the fingertips, a spark of blue and purple fire on his forehead, and the whole room trembled as more and more power was focused inside it.

After the power was discharged and as the dust settled, the only ones standing were those whose eyes glowed with power. And to me, the one witness to this event, could only describe this as pure  _murder_.

This was no battle. These children, the oldest barely looked to be in his teens, defeated a room full of older and visibly stronger men with no effort on their part.

Steps echoed all the way to the cage, the brown haired boy turned the padlock to stone with a touch of his fingers and pulled the door cleanly off the hinges. The black haired boy smiled kindly down at the blond naked girl, accepted a sheet from the pink haired girl and draped it over her form. The girl's eyes looked up at the boy above her, hope so brittle in her eyes that made my heart lurch in pain, and started to cry.

She was too weak to jump up and grab onto the black haired boy as if he was a lifeline, but when he reached over to her and pulled her closer she didn't fight. She leaned closer into him and cried, her throat was raw but she still cried. And her eyes blazed yellow as the boy held her hand and smiled at her.

"Mi dispiace che abbiamo preso così tanto tempo. E 'stato difficile da trovarti, tuttavia che non è una scusa." His voice washed over her. (I am sorry we took so long. It was hard to find you, but that is no excuse.)

"Sei al sicuro ora. Come ti chiami? Ci puoi dire?" The brown haired boy asked kindly. (You are safe now. What's your name? Can you tell us?)

The girl shook her head. I did not know but I felt as if she didn't even know if she had a name.

"Aah, non è buono. Una signora bisogno di un nome." The brown haired boy said. (Aah, that is not good. A lady needs a name.)

"Allora ne nominerò voi dopo la luce della speranza nei vostri occhi." The black haired boy told her. (Then I will name you after the light of hope in your eyes.)

"Aah, poi chiamarsi Speranza?" The brown haired boy asked. (Aah, then her name is Hope?)

"No, chiamarsi Chiara." The black haired boy answered, as he kissed the crown of the girls forehead. (No, her name is Chiara.)

The girl lifted her eyes, a pure yellow shine in them, and she shakily smiled at the group.

"Ah, such a loving moment. Almost makes you forget the fact that these ' _children_ ' as you referred them as, just killed half a dozen adults less than three minutes ago. Their bodies are not even cold yet." The shadow gleefully reminded me.

My stomach twisted at the reminder, my eyes avoiding any of the too still forms littered around the dirt and dark room.

"Shall we take make one last stop?" The shadow asked. Not even giving me time to reply, the scenery changed once more.

This time it was a strange scene. As much strange as it was terrifying.

It was Namimori's bridge. The same one Mother, Chiyo and me cross to go to preschool everyday. It was the fastest way to get there so me and Chiyo didn't have to wake up too early and take the longer route, which passed by Namimori Middle school. Takeshi and Father also came with us to cross the bridge but he then took a different path to got to the Primary School.

But the similarities ended there. The sky was dark and filled with thunderous clouds, lightning and thunder would strike occasionally somewhere in the distance, there was a strange scent in the air but I could feel the electricity in the air.

The bridge was in ruins, it was utterly destroyed and the debris were spread over the street or filing up the river underneath.

I looked around to see if there was anything I was missing but apart from the visibly destroyed bridge there was nothing wrong.

"Oh, there is something very wrong here. Go closer, gaze at the water and you'll know what." The shadow instructed.

I don't know why, I should have realized right at the beginning that this would not end well, but I did as instructed. Carefully toeing closer to the edge and leaning a bit to see the water's below.

Rocks and the rest of the debris were not what shocked. It was not the forms of men wearing dark clothes, faces blurred and unrecognizable from this distance.

No, what shocked me was the water.

_Red as rivers of wine and thicker than any water had any right to be._

"A storm is brewing. Coming this way, and charged to create disaster. Storms are harbingers of pain, misery and sorrow. I wonder which one will you be?" The shadow's voice was whispering in my ear.

"I don't understand you. What are you trying to say?" I valiantly kept my voice from shaking.

The shadow laughed.

"Fufufufu... I mean to say,  _ **You are slipping**_." The shadow taunted for the last time.

I feel the back of my pyjama shirt being grabbed and pulled harshly, turned to face the covered face of the shadow but visible shuddering grin.

And as I tried to regain balance of being pulled away, I see his dark hand push me off the edge of the destroyed bridge.

I tried screaming but my throat was closed, this also made me able to hear the shadow's parting words, just before I once again hit the cold waters below.

**"Do not forget my words, Natsushi, this is not a game. You are slipping. How much longer will you ignore that?"**

* * *

I shot awake and terrified, only having time to turn around and shove my head in the fort of pillows I had on my head to keep my screams from being heard. My skin was burning and was frighteningly cold at the same time, my breathing was ragged and I felt sick to my stomach.

I knew I was shaking, my head was seeing everything spinning and I couldn't calm myself. I was feeling useless and in dire need of some comfort. I didn't care from who it came from at this point, I would gladly suffer through one of Chiyo's rants and punches if it meant I could hold onto her right now. But it was late and she wouldn't wake up even if I knocked on the wall right now.

I didn't trust myself to climb the ladder to Takeshi's bed so I hauled myself to my feet and I made my way to my parent's bedroom, the door was left unlocked and my trembling form made it inside without waking anyone up, now it was time to make a decision.

Go to Mother or Father?

Easy, Mother gave the best hugs and comfort. Don't know if it's a child's thing or memories of my baby years but if you needed a hug go to Mother.

I walked, shakily, to Mother's side of the bed and pulled the cover a bit before hauling myself upwards and onto the bed.

"Takeshi, go back to sleep." I heard Mother mutter sleepily.

Oh, yeah... This is the first time I'm ever coming to my parent's bedroom in the middle of the night, isn't it?

"M-mam-mama..." I croak, my throat was hurting and I was shaking even more now that the shock was finally settling deep into my head.

Let it not be said that even half asleep a Mother can sense when one of her children is hurting.

Mother's eyes shot open and one look at me had her arms around me in a hug. Father woke up and turned on the light of the lamp, sleep was making his features look a bit older and more tired than usual but he looked strangely like his usual look.

"Natsu? What's wrong?" Mother asked, confused.

I didn't respond and just held onto her tighter. Tears were spilling from my eyes and all the control I thought I had over my emotions and shakes was lost to me.

I was a blubbering mess in my Mama's arms and I could honestly care less.

"Shh...Shh, what's wrong baby? A nightmare?" Mother asked?

I nodded through my crying.

"Oh, baby... It's okay now. Shh... It's okay."

Father patted me on the head, ruffing my hair sleepily before making room on the bed for me. Turned off the lamp and promptly went back to sleep. Mariko had more expertise regarding calming down crying toddlers than him.

"Want me to sing you a lullaby?" Mama asked.

I nodded.

And she started humming a calm melody that I had only heard once before, when I was crying so strongly that only exhaustion wore me down. My fears slowly disappeared and I fell asleep. My dream, no... my vision thrown into a dark corner of my mind for the moment. My only priority right now was focusing on my Mama's voice and never let go of her.

* * *

The prairie was quiet.

The sun was replaced by a moon and the warm air of summer was colder and the winds were a tad stronger than before.

"Are you happy with what you are doing?" A voice asks.

"Of course, god knows the kid is too slow for his own good." Another answers.

"And scaring him out of his wits and risking all our efforts to break the  _shell_  around  _our_ powers going to waste, is an acceptable way to speed things up?" The first one demands.

"All for the greater good. Isn't it something you preach about constantly?" The darker voice questions.

"You could have taken a different approach! Making him fearful of his own powers is not something we can afford right now!" The other one shouts.

"Oh, yes... This little Temporale drew the worse luck there is, didn't he? From being born right into a Vongola's protected lands, also Primo's land, and having  _those_  bloodlines in him. Poor guy!" The darker one mocked.

" _ **Samael**_ , do  _not_  mock him!" The other one angrily shouted at the darker one.

"Oh, what are  _you_  going to do about it,  _ **Remiel**_? Tell Master?" The darker voice, Samael, mocked the other.

"He does not need to, Samael. I am right here." Another voice joins in, this one has an aura of power.

" _Master_..." Samael shies away.

"Do not even try to downplay this, Samael. You stepped over your boundaries on this one. What was my order on this matter?" Master asked.

" _Do not rush his memories. Let time do it's course._ " Samael answered begrudgingly.

"Exactly. I will not allow anymore of this incidents, do you understand?" Master asked.

"Yes, Master." "Of course, Master!" Both voices answered.

"Good, then let us retreat for another day." Master replied.

At once the voices disappeared from the Prairie, the moon shone down on the dark forest.

One visible bright blue eyes shone under it's light, power swirled inside it, flames of _purple, blue and green_  sparked inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll start with the names:
> 
> \- Chiara is the Italian form of Clara, and that name comes from the latin of Clarus, which means clear, bright and famous.
> 
> \- Samael means Severity of God in hebrew, it's also the name of one of the Archangels from the jewish religion. Described as a destructive angel of death.
> 
> \- Remiel means Mercy of God in hebrew, the Book of Enoch names him as one of the seven archangels.


	24. Part I - Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters left until the Part I Finale: Two Chapters left!
> 
> The Storms Power:  
> Natsushi - Temporale (Thunderstorm)  
> Chiyo - Tempesta di Sabbia (Sandstorm)  
> Elias - Uragano (Hurricane)  
> Rentaro/Taro - Tempesta di ghiaccio (Ice-Storm)  
> Purple - ?  
> Green - ?  
> Red - ?

Mama's voice echoed all the way into the depths of my dreams, somehow I managed to not have a single dream the rest of the night. I just sat in this lonely corner of my mind and listened as her voice washed away all the terror and shaking the nightmares had dug out of the firmly closed box in the back of my mind.

In the morning, when everyone woke up, I was left sleeping. Mama cooked a late breakfast when I finally disentangled myself from the covers and I found myself lazing around the house as Chiyo went alone to Preschool (she had not been happy) and Takeshi was at school. I watched as Mama and Father tended to the shop and sat inside on of the cupboards and watched as father cut down fish after fish.

The expertise over the knife made sense to me, now that I knew he had been the son of a swordsman, and was drawing me more into learning it than scaring me. My eyes followed his movements and before I realized I was doing it I was comparing the fine swishes and flicks to the same precise movements of the bowstring the cello used.

It made it somehow easier to understand the angles and the arches he made as the knife cut away at everything.

I knew he was aware of my staring, I wasn't actually trying to be sneaky about it, but I didn't really care that he looked bemusedly at me after he finished tending to the customers. Nor how he actually sat me on the counter where he prepared the food as he continued doing his artwork.

Mama looked at him with disapproval but she let it slip. _This time._

Grandma stopped by the shop to pick me up for cello practice before we walked to school to pick up Chiyo. Passing across the unharmed bridge was odd. Like I had a sense of premonition and I knew what was going to happen. But I was...

_Numb._

Like I had been tossed into an ice bath. I didn't feel a thing.

Chiyo fussed over me and Taro came over to say hi and goodbye before he had to go. The walk to Kazue-san's house was non-eventful, listening to Chiyo rant about the stupid exercises the Kuma-Onna had them do and how the snotty kids thought that, since I wasn't there, she wanted or needed their company.

I'm actually surprised Chiyo didn't get sent home after she admitted to slapping a kid when he got too close and too touchy for her liking.

It's safe to say that Chiyo is going to gain a reputation by the end of the school year.  _And not a good one._

Once we arrived at Kazue-san's house I was sat in front of a screen and given a pair of headphones (the really bulky ones) and she started playing an introductory video about several moves and song styles that the cello was able to play.

Apparently Kazue-san believed I only needed to grow up a bit and practice the movements to create muscle memory because she believed I could already play the songs. So here I was sitting with my back to Chiyo, who was learning the different cords and strings the harp had, while Grandma sat in a corner armchair with a novel in her hands.

As interesting as this sounds (sarcasm) I couldn't keep myself from getting bored and after an hour or so of watching a man do arches and flicks with the bowstring reproducing some sounds resembling nails on a chalkboard, I removed the headphones and glared meaningfully at Kazue-san. I did not get up today to spend three hours listening to this.

She saw my glare and grinned impishly back at me.

"You're free to try out the cello again if you want. You'll see I was right, the music sheets are on top of the coffee table." She shrugged.

I huffed and jumped out of the stool, walking towards the coffee table I was tempted to call her out and say I didn't know what all those weird symbols meant, or that I couldn't even read yet, but I dropped it. Grandma looked surprised at me but I just sat down on the corner of the table and started looking through the mass of papers.

I could read a few kanji but the names were sometimes too confusing to distinguish. And let's not even get started on the names of the actual people.

Flipping through the pages I continue to try and see if there is anything in the pile that I can minimally understand.

Honestly, Elias, couldn't you have told us we'd learn all this when we were older?

' _Un violoncellista non deve mai credere che esiste una cosa come una canzone facile._ ' A voice whispers in my mind. (A cellist must never believe that such thing as an easy song exists.)

I freeze. An unopened music sheet on my hands is the last thing on my mind at that moment.

' _Un violoncello è lo strumento che più assomiglia alla voce umana._ ' The voice continues. (A cello is the instrument that most resembles the human voice.)

' _Ogni canzone ha giocato nella violoncello ha una voce dietro di essa. È necessario cercare di trovare, capirla! Solo poi si può vedere se la canzone che ti interessa o meno._ ' The voice admonished. (Every song played in the cello has a voice behind it. You must try and find it, understand it! Only then can you see if the song interests you or not.)

' _Ma che succede se non riesco a sentire quella voce? Marzia è sta giocando l'arpa già di settimane. Non posso nemmeno giocare due accordi!_ ' A boyish voice whines. (But what if I can't hear that voice? Marzia's been playing the harp for weeks now. I can't even play two chords!)

' _Potrai ascoltare che voce quando di stabilirsi vostra mente nella musica. Ora, di nuovo all'inizio, riprovare, Cucciolo!'_  The voice says. (You'll hear that voice when you settle your mind into the music. Now, back to the top, try again, Cucciolo!)

' _La vuoi smettere chiamare me che ?!_ ' The boy yells. (Will you stop calling me that?!)

' _Non finché tuo padre fa._ ' The other voice laughs. (Not until your father does.)

' _Lui_ non _è mio padre..._ ' The boy whispers. (He's  _not_  my father...)

The whispers fade from my mind. I jerk awake when the silence of my mind settles.

The papers in my hand rustle a bit as I grab them a bit too hard, turning the cover up I look at the title 'A mio Padre'. My eyes don't have time to widen before they blaze, the letters that look so odd to me turn lighter and change. The composer no longer is a smudge in my eyes, I can actually read the words.

_Wait_... read?

The words make sense,  _somehow_...

_But why?_

The title. It reads 'My father'.

Opening the folder there is nothing different than from the others before, lines with music scores and words above that go with the song. A small note about the composer and a more important note about what instruments go into this song.

There are a few in this one. A cello being one of the last mentioned.

Recalling the whispers in my mind I stand up and place the music score on the stand thingy. Sitting with the cello in front of me, and with the bowstring in hand, I gaze back at the score. I imagine a melody.

Something that starts the other players before the cello plays. And as silly as it was, I tried to hear something else. The ' _voice_ ' that whispers had told me about, as if something like that  _really_  exists.

Closing my eyes, I place my fingers on the cords and prepare the bowstring but I didn't get a chance to make a fool out of myself.

I hear quiet laughter before light filters through my closed eyes.

I opened them to see a room different than the one I had been in moments before. I look around to see if the covered figure was nearby but I was completely alone. A strange change from all the others visions I had. But then it was when I noticed something...

_I was_ in control _of my body._

Standing up I stumbled a bit from the difference in height. _I was taller._

Hell, I was not a small kid here! Walking towards the window I look outside to see a beautiful garden, hectares of green grass and flower beds all the way 'till you reach an enormous wall. The blue sky was speckled with clouds, the sun was high in the sky, there were tree tops peeking out from the top of the wall, white iron benches spread here and there in the garden.

And a tree so tall, a Holm Oak, shaded a laughing girl playing with a swing being pushed by a blond girl. Beside them, on the upper branches, two boys bickered back and forth about something until a pink haired girl placed her hands on her hips and they stopped.

The girl turned away and when walked towards the table in the middle of a gazebo, waiting there was a brown haired boy, taller and more bulky than her but way more calm. He laughed about something and the girl punched his shoulder, earning a disapproving glance from an elderly lady that was setting the tea set and plates with snacks on the table.

It was so peaceful. The sun shone brighter and I shielded my face, covering the sun as I finally noticed my reflection.

It was a young face, maybe twelve or thirteen years of age, with noble but soft features. It had big eyes that were sea blue, and sparkled with power underneath that color, the skin was peachy and the cheeks were slightly more rosy. A small nose and small ears, full lips that almost formed a pout and a mess of black hair. It stuck up in odd places and no matter how many times I patted it down it just would not go away.

He wore a white shirt, un-tucked, and a pair of dark pants with black shoes. A small red string knotted around the shirt's neck.

I wore a surprised expression on my face.

Apart from the age difference and the lack of Mama's features, together with a light tan, and my beauty mark, I was identical to me. The  _real_  me.

I hear a noise outside of the door before it creaks open. I jump, turning around fast as lightning.

A blond man startled at seeing my reaction before he smiled warmly.

" _Decided to take a break? You are never going to learn how to play it if you give up, you know?_ " He said.

I was speechless. Tongue-tied. And very confused.

Something must've showed in my face because he looked worried before stepping closer to me.

In the back of my mind there was something that told me to get away, to not let him get near me, but another part of me practically  _purred_  as he got closer. A wave of nostalgia and longing washed over me and I was only shaken out of my feelings when I felt his hand on my head.

Such a warm hand. As warm as his eyes were. Big golden eyes that shimmered with power and acceptance, his whole aura sang with power but not the frightening kind. No, he was like an angel. Something so pure in someplace so dark.

_A light at the end of the tunnel._

" _Isaia, are you alright? Do you want me to call Knuckle?_ " He asked concerned, kneeling down so he could face me better.

I shook my head. I turned to face outside again, to see them all so happy.

The memories of the nightmare haunted my heart, pressed him hard against my chest, seeing them here... looking so happy, it made my eyes fill up with tears.

The first sob startled me, but before I could stop it I was crying my eyes out.

Arms circled around me and I could feel the harmony his power sang with surrounding me. Trying to sooth and calm my tears, the hushed whispers and the hand caressing my head made my heart soar like a bird.

My hands grabbed the black cloak that covered the man. I felt so happy, to see them happy.

_Alive..._

" _Hush, Isaia, tell me. What's wrong?_ " The man asked in a gentle tone, " _Are you upset with your lesson?_ "

I shook my head again.

" _No... They look so happy..._ " I managed to say between the sobs.

" _They seem happy? Ah, your friends?_ " He asked.

I nodded.

" _Is that why you are crying? You are happy?_ " He asked with a surprised smile.

I nodded again. Just seeing their smiles, to see that no matter what they went through, they could still smile.

" _Silly boy, there's no need to cry. I'm glad that you are happy, I was scared that you were feeling sick._ " He smiled down at me, a relieved expression on his face, " _I was just about to burst into Knuckle's infirmary._ "

I laughed. Had to cough afterwards but still laughed.

The mental image of a man in black robes and an exasperated expression wormed their way into my mind.

" _G would kill you if you caused a scene..._ " I joked.

A pinched expression and a nervous laugh was his reaction.

" _You are right about that. But he would call Marzia and Pace on you if I did._ " He said.

A shiver ran down my spine. That felt like a strange and terrifying event.

" _So, are you going to let me hear you play, or would you rather just be like a koala for the rest of the afternoon?_ " He asked in a teasing tone.

I felt my cheeks and ears redden. I let go of his cloak and stepped back, rubbing my eyes and sniffling. He was smiling kindly still, a hand pushing a few strands of hair out of my face before he stood up.

I walked back towards where I first ' _woke up_ ' and saw a brown wooden cello, polished and gleaming, with the stand and bowstring already waiting for me. I dragged my feet a bit, something the man noticed, and had to turn my face away to keep him from seeing my embarrassment.

" _Oh, I'm sure you don't play that badly. And we all have to start somewhere._ " The man sighed.

" _The maestro keeps saying I can't hear the voice of the song but I keep telling him such thing doesn't exist!_ " 'I' told him. The voice leaving my mouth out of it's own accord.

"If your maestro says there is, you could give it a chance. What more does he say?" The man asked.

" _Says my mind is not focused on the music and that I should clear my thoughts before picking up the bowstring._ " I grumbled.

" _Then that's somewhere to start with. I agree with your maestro here, you shouldn't be daydreaming while learning how to play._ " The man smiled.

" _And he keeps calling me 'Cucciolo'._ " I whined.

He laughs heartily at that.

" _What's wrong with Cucciolo? It's a nice endearment._ " He smiles, " _Have you asked him to stop, if you don't like it at all?_ "

" _He said he would only stop when 'my father',_ you _, stopped doing the same._ " I frowned, pausing from reaching out for the bowstring.

The man stopped laughing and watched me for a moment.

" _Do you want me to talk to him? Explain to him the situation?_ " He asked with a gentle tone.

" _It's not that!_ " I said loudly.

I turned to face him, his hurt expression felt like needles under my skin.

" _Don't you care that some street rat is being referred to as your_  son?" I ask, " _That they all think I'm a child born out of wedlock and not just a kid you took pity on?_ " I sit down on the bench with a downcast expression.

" _Is that why you were so sad the other day? You think I took pity on you?_ " The man asked in shock.

" _Didn't you? Why else would you help us?_  No one  _else_   _ever did._ " I say to him.

" _Isaia, I would never take pity on you. You saved me twice and you saved Lampo about twice as much as me._ " He said with a wry smile.

" _But don't you mind? That they are referring to me as your son?_ " I ask.

" _Not at all. I don't feel bothered by it, and if I have to be honest I would feel very proud if it was actually true._ " He smiled.

I looked up to him with a lost expression.

" _Why?_ " I ask with a whisper.

He smiles at me, his eyes shining with emotion.

" _Because_  you  _are what most fathers would wish for. Mother's would gush and love to brag about having a son like you. Brave, noble, kind..._   _Isaia, why would I feel wronged that they are linking_  you  _to me?_ " He said.

" _If so, then why did_ they _leave? Why did they never come_ back _? Why did no one ever_ care _?_ " I asked, pushing my knees up to my chest.

A hand caresses my head again. I hear a sigh.

" _I don't know, Isaia. I don't have an answer for that._ " He said, " _But does it really matter? If they showed up one day would you leave the others behind?_ "

" _ **Never**_." I answered at once.

" _Then it does not matter. To me, this house is happier with you all in it. You think I didn't notice how G is protective of Marzia or how Knuckle simply loves having Chiara help him around the infirmary?_ " The man laughs, " _And Asari has Nicola trailing around him to learn more about the eastern countries whenever he's not keeping Raniero out of trouble. And Lampo and Grazia like to compete to see who's the more childish one..._ " He continued.

" _And Nero loves fighting with Alaude and Daemon... Though they always cause a mess. Pace has to chase them all down for them to clean things up or he goes to find G to do it._ " I laugh a bit.

" _And then they create an even bigger mess._ " The man sighed.

I laughed harder.

" _And that's before Marzia throws caution to the wind and goes full demon on us. The poor miss you placed to make sure they are proper ladies is going to be scarred for life, I hope you know that._ " I added.

He laughed.

" _See? That's why I don't regret my decision to bring you all back here. You bring life and light wherever you go._ " The man sighs contently.

I sigh beside him.

" _Only you would think that._ " I mumble.

Placing an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer, he huffs.

" _No, I am not. Besides that's not an expression for_  Isaia di Vongola  _to make, is it?_ " He teases me at the last part.

I glare at him, but there's no heat or anger behind my eyes. He smiles wider when he notices it.

" _Sepira will kill you if you keep pointing in her direction about being the mother, you know._ " I say to him.

" _No, she won't. She likes me way too much to do that._ " He waves my comment off.

" _Oh, I have doubts about that. You remember the last time she came by? That wall has never looked the same._ " I give him a wry grin.

His face loses a bit of color.

" _Don't even joke about_ that _day in particular, Cucciolo._ " He mumbles out.

I laugh at his expression.

Suddenly the room grows dimmer, like the light is being sucked out of it, and the vision begins to fade. I open my eyes again to see Chiyo and Kazue-san staring at me, while Grandma had dropped her novel on the floor and she looked like she sucked on a lemon.

My hands hurt a bit and my arms were tired. I placed the bowstring back on the stand and placed the cello back onto the support, the music score for 'O mio Padre' laid untouched on the stand, although a bit crumpled. Chiyo is the first to recover and takes out a napkin from her pocket and motions to my face. It's then that I realize I had actually been crying outside of my vision.

_Was it a vision?_

It had to be. Those were the old Storms, not us.

_But it seemed so real..._

"Natsu are you alright?" Kazue-san asks when she comes out of her stupor.

"Yeah. Don't know what happened." I mumbled the last part.

"Oh, I can take a wild guess and say you got emotional." She joked numbly.

"I did not get emotional!" I said, wincing when it came out way too defensive.

She gave me a roguish grin.

"Oh? Is Mr. Prodigy showing his true self?" She said, "Does he want a hug?"

"Certainly not  _yours_." I shot back.

Chiyo snorted.

"Ah, and he's back to his usual self. Pity, I had my list of jokes right in my pocket." She sighed.

"You have way too much time in your hands... How come you haven't at least got a boyfriend?" I retort.

"Who'd want to be with  _her_?" Chiyo asked me with a startled expression.

"You little..." Kazue-san looks startlingly red faced.

We give her twin grins.

* * *

The sun was lazy.

The weather was nice to be outside but there was clouds covering the sky and he continually remained behind them. Taro, Chiyo and I were sprawled on the grass near the fence of the Preschool. It was playtime right now and Kuma-Onna had decided that we needed fresh air, so we instantly ran to the opposite side of the playground and decided to have some relaxing time behind the bushes that encircled the playground.

If you remained close enough to the ground the people on the other side couldn't see you, so it was perfect.

I had told Taro and Chiyo, plus Elias, about what I had seen. The names and the garden, the laughing and how happy they looked. But I didn't tell them everything.

Why, I don't know, but I kept the fact that I had met a blond guy who said he didn't mind calling me his kid, plus all the heart to heart conversation I had with him secret from the others. If it was because it was embarrassing or to not reveal the fact that we had once lived happily with Vongola was lost to me.

It made me question what had happened. _How did everything just fall apart?_

How did it all became so distorted and twisted? How did the love and happiness turn into resentment, fear and greed?

_Honestly... I was afraid to find out._

"What are we going to do?" Chiyo asks.

"There's still two hours left until we can leave this place. And it's friday too..." I groan.

"W-we c-could go back i-inside?" Taro suggests.

" **No**." "Never." Chiyo and I answer.

"T-then w-what do w-we do?" Taro asks.

"I don't know. Natsu, what do you suggest?" Chiyo turns to me.

I stared that the fence beside us. It's a chain-link fence but it's slightly banged up, there's even a corner that's opene-...

"We are going to take a stroll outside." I say rather matter of factly.

"We're what?!" Taro gasps before Chiyo covered his mouth and grinned at me.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lead the way,  _Bossu_." Chiyo says.

I huffed at her, crawling to the fence and pulling at it. Kuma-Onna was occupied with twelve or so snotty kids so she wouldn't notice us gone. At least until we were a safe distance away from the preschool. The fence was easy to pull and wider the opening, guess being young, innocent and small has it's perks too.

I look back and discreetly glance at Kuma-Onna. One thing I know, people have a tendency to feel like they're being watched, my solution? Glance at something nearby that allows she/he to be in your field of vision.

Once I saw it was safe to proceed I give Chiyo the signal, she goes first, to watch out for anyone noticing us getting out, then Taro goes with a bit of encouragement (on my side) and persuasion (on Chiyo's side) before one last look back and I go through the fence opening.

Being the tallest is sometimes an inconvenience, though I was thankfully still thin, if a bit lanky.

Once outside we crawl until we reach the corner furthest from both the preschool gate and the playground before we stand up, laugh and make a run for it.

* * *

"What were you thinking?! You could have gotten hurt!" Mama yelled at us.

She was positively livid. Pacing back and forth in the room, making us dread what would happen when Father came home.

Taro had already been picked up, his mother had also not been happy with him, though I saw his two older brothers flash him and us the thumb-up sign when her back was turned.

You see... Our little ' _stroll_ ' took a bit more than just two hours. It might've taken four and a bit more... give or take.

So we not only scared the  _goodness_  out of Mama, and the color out of Father, but we also ended up causing a massive panic to inform the city that three kids might've been kidnapped.

_Yeah, not the smartest idea..._

Once we got away from preschool we went to the park and we went exploring around town. It was once again surprisingly easy for people to completely ignore the two two year old's and a three year old walking around in a preschool smock, completed with name tags and everything.

It was even more surprising to see people not even bat an eyelash at us entering stores and even playing a few arcade games (I had a few coins on me) or just lazing around/chasing the water fountains that threw water up in the air.

After some time of this (might've been the whole two hours we had) we decided to go find something else to do.

And that's when everything spiraled out of control.

One minute we were walking down this street and the next I was down on the floor with Chiyo and Taro with me and this black haired kid on top of us, glaring and fuming. We instantly started struggling, Chiyo managed to hit him with a well placed kick but that just seemed to motivate him.

_In fact, he looked way too familiar..._

"You're that hospital kid!" I shout in realization.

_Bad thing to say..._

" _You're_  the one that caused Natsu to fall sick! He almost died, you  _big **jerk**_!" Chiyo growled and spat.

Piercing silver eyes focused on me, and he did not look happy.

"Hehe... Hello again?" I pressed myself deeper into the ground.

"Why are you not in school, baby carnivore?" He asked with a deceptively distant tone.

"We were bored?" I tried.

His glare came back with a vengeance.

"You do know that there are policemen looking for you right now." He stated.

"There are what?!" "Why?!" "We are so  _dead_!" The three of us shouted.

He raised an eyebrow and seemed to be pondering something. I kind of had this hope he'd let us go and forget he had seen us but once he grinned down at us I knew we were screwed.

How we ended up being gone for an extra hour?

Apparently Kyoya (finally learned his name) had a special way to punish kids who skipped school.

He ' _bit_ ' them to death.

If you're thinking he went easy with us being only little kids, you're wrong. If anything he was even more merciless. And after he 'bit' us he promptly dragged us all back to preschool where Mama and Taro's mother later showed up to pick us up.

Two words to describe this whole outing.

**_Worth it._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to know why I placed 'O mio Padre' in particular in this chapter I'll place the lyrics and translation below:
> 
> Caro Babbo, (Hey, Dad)  
> Inultile discutere (It's useless to argue)  
> D'accordo non saremo mai (We'll never agree)  
> Che cose c'e di strano in cio (There's nothing strange with that)  
> Trent'anni ci separano (Thirty years separate us)  
> (...)  
> C'e il timore in te (You are afraid)  
> Di non trovare più la forza (To not find the strength)  
> D'essere al mio fianco (To stand by my side)  
> Se gli ostacoli mi fermano (If the obstacles halt me)  
> (...)  
> Non preoccuparti, ascoltami (Don't you worry, listen to me)  
> Avrò problemi (I'll get problems)  
> Affronto infami ma (I will deal with villains)  
> Niente mi spaventerà (Nothing shall scare me)  
> Niente mi corromperà (Nothing shall corrupt me)  
> Niente al mondo (Nothing on earth)  
> Mi farà scordare che (Will make me forget that)  
> Posso vincere (I can win)  
> (...)  
> So bene che per te è difficile (I know it's difficult for you)  
> Giustificare (To justify)  
> Questa smania di combattere (This eagerness to fight)  
> Osare l'impossibile…lo so (To dare the impossible... I know)  
> Ti sembrerà incredibile (You'll find it incredible)  
> Ma più ci penso più m'accorgo che (But the more I think about it the more I realize)  
> Assomiglio proprio a te (I'm really like you)  
> E non sai come vorrei (And you don't know how I wish)  
> Che la forza non ti abbandonasse mai (That your strength never leaves you)  
> Per averti qui (To have you next to me)  
> E non arrendermi, mai (And never surrender, never)  
> Ciao Babbo, (Goodbye, Dad)  
> A presto. (I'll see you soon)
> 
> It's a song I found fitting for the two, especially down the line when, hopefully, the Future Arc or the Inheritance Arc show up.  
> For anyone wondering this song belongs to Andrea Bocelli, it's not mine (Gods no) and I claim no rights for it.
> 
> Ah, I almost forgot! Cucciolo means "puppy," "cub," or any type of baby animal in general. This one is especially sweet because it touches on the bond between parents and children.
> 
> {Special note from Koneko! Beautiful Author-san lives in Portugal, and as such uses a different measurement system. 'Hectares' is a square unit of measurement for land for anyone who didn't feel bothered enough to look it up! Ja ne!}


	25. Part I - Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter's left until Part I Finale - One chapter remaining!

Taro, Chiyo and I were sitting at our usual table while eating a small snack and listening to Kuma-onna ramble on about the importance of sharing to two kids who had thought it was clever to fight over a biscuit.

_Idiots..._

Taro had brought one of his robot toy he and his oldest brother had made together. Shintaro (Taro's oldest brother) was already in fourth grade, but unlike his other brother and his sister Shintaro actually liked to play with Taro.

Though Chiyo and I had fought back laughter when he told us their names.

Apparently his family had a very weird and way too old tradition to name all of their children with the suffix of -Taro. So, we had (in chronological order) Shintaro, Kotaro, Hotaru and Rentaro.

His sister being the only one that ended in -Taru, his mother's excuse was because she was a girl and had to be different than the boys.

Oh, and Rentaro told us what his parents planned on naming the little brother that was coming along.

_Rin_ taro.

That was another reason as to why he had asked us to call him Taro, most would think you'd get tired of hearing. But in their family, to avoid confusion, they all were called by their preffix, so Taro was called Ren at home.

And his siblings were Shin, Ko and Ho to the rest of the family.

Chiyo had asked from which side of the family this tradition came from, Taro answered with simply:

"My dad's name is Yasotaro."

We winced.

Anyway, let's backtrack. So, Shintaro helped Taro build all this cool robots that did crazy things like walking when told or that could pick up stuff (like an eraser) but most importantly, Shintaro gave Taro the remains of the process of building the robots and even the spare tools he had due to his parents buying him new ones.

And, though Taro liked to keep them, he had decided to gift some to  _me_.

So now, I had in my backpack a box filled with wrenches and nuts and bolts. Even a small screwdriver that had a seashell drawing on the handle.

Why people thought of giving little kids tools that could easily make them break stuff, I'll never know. Do I want them to stop?

_Not really..._

The three of us had been having a blast recently, causing trouble left and right to Kuma-onna. She had received a warning to watch us constantly but the three of us weren't going to stand still in a corner and behave if we could do otherwise, and Taro's tools now opened a new door to us. Quite literally too!

Did you know our preschool had a ventilation system? Whose entry points were on ground level? And whose entries were only locked by a metal plaque that was embarrassingly easy to take off with the help of said screwdriver?

Oh, you didn't?

Too bad...  _We_ did _._

So now we had the whole building to explore and several exits we could use to escape from preschool. We had been outside another two times (and we were always caught by Kyoya, that kid must have a sensor of some sort because he always finds us) and we were promptly placed in timeout for it. It was becoming a nervous tick of Kuma-onna to count all the kids inside the room at random times to make sure we hadn't made a run for it.

Not that it helped her, we could always escape her counting's with Chiyo's interference.

If Seth circled around us and Chiyo focused enough, we could honestly be invisible to the whole class. Though we couldn't speak or the 'trick' as we called it, would fade out.

Taro was looking to see if he could find any way to make this inconvenience disappear but so far he had come up empty. Not that I blame him or that I'm surprised, not only are we kids but the Storms power are not actually that well known and researched. Mainly because we are so rare and secondly because most Storms are kept as secret weapons or are killed off way too soon to actually find the limits of their powers.

Even Father had only seen Natsume use his powers in battle and he had only attested that Natsume could bring a massive thunderstorm down on the enemies heads before releasing lightning bolts to fry them all up.

Basically, what I had seen Isaia do to the men down in the basement Chiara was in.

Which led me to question if I could do that too. And if I needed to watch out before I fried someone on accident. But that was another point that I was confused about. My power, the Temporale flames, seemed to be the most observed or recorded.  _I had not seen any of the other Storms ever using their powers._

_Weird..._

"Now that is sorted, let's turn this way everyone! I have a great surprise to you all!" Kuma-onna said as she smiled widely down at us.

"At this point in time, I'm too scared to even try to guess what it is." Chiyo muttered.

"Don't, you'd lose all of your sanity." I whispered back.

"Or what's  _left_  of it..." Taro huffed.

Chiyo smiled 'sweetly' towards Taro before replying.

"And let's see if you don't lose your head, neh, Taro-chan~"

"I never said a word." Taro answered back quickly.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them.

Even though Chiyo could be sometimes hard to deal with, Taro had found some kind of rivalry with her and would antagonize her with a few muttered jibes, though he always lost these 'confrontations'. I had asked them about it but both asked me what I was referring to and that I had probably imagined things.

I decided to ignore them for now. It didn't get in the way of the usual workings and our outings so why bother?

"The director decided that our school should go to the grand opening of the new amusement park that will open next Tuesday in the neighboring town. Ain't this exciting?" Kuma-onna reveals.

The whole classroom cheers, all while three wide eyed pairs of eyes gaze at each other before two of them turn into a more mischievous gaze coupled with twin grins of trouble in the making, the last pair of eyes shifted into a flat stare and gave a huff.

"What are you two planning?" Taro asked.

"Sure you want to know?" Chiyo grinned, her eyes were sparkling.

"Forget I asked, I'd rather keep myself out of unnecessary trouble." Taro answered.

"Oh, Taro... You're already a part of our plans. Don't worry, it's nothing tooo bad~!" I grin back at him.

"You are crazy, Natsu. I don't know which one of you is worse." Taro says while face-palming.

"What can I say, Chiyo had rubbed off on me." I shrugged my shoulders," Anyway, don't worry we'll rub off on you someday too."

"We already have. Taro has given you tools to get us out of this forsaken place, why would he do that unless he also has a sense of adventure?" Chiyo said.

"What you guys have is not called a 'sense of adventure' it's called Insanity, with a capital I." Taro groans.

We only grin down on him in response.

* * *

Mama was fussing over us as usual.

Takeshi seemed bummed out that he didn't get to visit Kokuyo Land with us but I for once was hoping we could hurry the hell up and leave the house (something that never happens when we have to go to preschool) but today was different. I had snuck inside my backpack a few tools that would help us in our mission today.

'Have Fun'.

Chiyo was getting her hair brushed, I was finishing putting on my shoes and getting my jacket on, Takeshi was already ready to go along with Father but Mama still needed to put on her jacket and shoes.

I was wearing a pair of dark shorts and a light green tee with a blue jacket and a new pair of sneakers Father had bought for me. Chiyo was wearing a skort with a purple sweater and a blue/purple-ish jacket and white sneakers that looked a bit worn.

We had fought over socks again, so we matched (blue and pink/pink and blue) on our respective feet.

Taro had witnessed one of our fights over clothes and he had been honestly astonished on how we hadn't brought the house down yet. Hilariously enough we had told him that instead of finding it surprising Elias had actually encouraged these fights.

He gave us a flat stare before looking at Elias and mouthing 'Why?' to her. To which she responded with a shrug of shoulders.

Chiyo and I laughed at his expression as he face-palmed.

Finally, the two of us were ready to go and we all but raced all the way to the preschool, and just as I was going to cross the road, Mama grabs me quite harshly and pulls me back in the nick of time from avoiding a car that zoomed past us.

"What's the first rule about crossing the road, Natsushi?" Mama asks with a stern voice.

"Always look both ways before crossing?" I answer.

"See if the light is green first." Mama corrected with a frown," You could've been hit! What were you thinking?"

I look down on my feet, the weight of guilt in my conscience was itchy and made me feel ten times worse.

"Sorry, Mama..." I say truthfully.

She sighs before grabbing both mine and Chiyo's hands before crossing the road and leading us to the front entrance, Kuma-onna was already there checking the students that arrived and talking/chit-chatting with the mothers that gave her the time to talk their ears off. Mama only said a few words to us before ushering us inside, though I flinched when I heard a rude comment coming from one of the mothers about me and Chiyo having different fathers and how  _filthy_  it made us.

Chiyo hunched her shoulders but I gave her a bright smile and took her hand before dragging her off to search for Taro.

Truth be told, those comments were nothing more that mere rumors regarding the fact that Chiyo lived with us and yet did not look like any of us, and also counting the fact that Chiyo's parents were apparently erased from the people's minds. Yes, they only appeared at night to come pick her up and they never wore clothes that made them stand out in a crowd (and even I had never met Chiyo's father) but even then it was amazing as to how people believed Chiyo had simply popped up from thin air.

It also didn't help that Chiyo had started arriving at the restaurant when we were only a few months old (and that we got out of the hospital around the same time), I did question on how Chiyo had a birth record we could use to register her in school with.

It showed all her information and her real data but no one ever though to question about where Mr. and Mrs. Ritsushima were in all this.

Not that it matters. They left, Chiyo is family with us now. And I will not let anyone harm  _my_  family.

Taro was actually waiting for us, sitting by the bushes with a backpack of his own, though his was filled with other things than tools and trinkets. His had snacks and water bottles, he had also brought with him a few caps from his brothers and a purple one with butterflies on it from his sister before he finally handed to me what I had asked specifically for.

A pair of walkie-talkies. Two of them, actually.

One pair would be used between Chiyo and I while one from the other pair would be used by Taro, under the same frequency, to make it a three-way walkie-talkie. Sure, they had a small area of working but it would help us moving between crowds in case we got lost or had to pass information quickly.

Shintaro had noticed they were gone (and I am absolutely certain Taro looked guilty when his brother asked him about it) but he had only smirked at Taro ruffled his hair and said 'Leave nothing untouched', before continuing like he hadn't seen anything amiss.

We had to applaud his brother's guts, telling a trio of three year olds to mess around an amusement park filled to the brim with people and possible dangers that ranged from malfunctions to creepy stalkers.

Taro only huffed and said his brother loved trouble and that he liked building robots because it gave him the chance to blast things up.

We applauded louder at this, which led Taro to toss a shoe at us.

As we goofed around and chased after one another, Kuma-onna decided that it was time to go and gave a big old yell to make us sprint towards the buses. Too bad that it only made the three of us fall to the ground laughing at how shrilly her voice really was. It was like nails scrapping on a chalkboard and there was that tilt in her voice that made us think she was trying to imitate a snobby little girl.

After laughing a bit more at that thought we finally join the mess of limbs and high-pitched voices as everyone tried to get on the bus.

At the  _same_  time.

Safe to say, the three of us placed our bags on the compartment below and entered though the back door, sitting together in the seats down in the back of the bus. After a few more delays (kids going to the bathroom in their underwear, a few kids feeling sick from being on an over crowded bus, and a whole lot of scream-galore) we finally reached Kokuyo Land.

And guess what.

I had to have Chiyo and Taro wake me up because I fell asleep soon after the bus took off. How I feel asleep amidst that mayhem it's a mystery to me, but I felt refreshed and ready to bring havoc to this amusement park. Or so I thought.

As soon as my eyes fell on the park I felt something  _really_   _wrong_  was going on here.

First off, the park looked very, very, very familiar (which was impossible because this place had just opened up after being under construction for four years, aka longer than I have been alive) secondly, I kept questioning myself as to why everything looked so new and clean when it was perfectly understandable as to why it looked like it did.

But still... I kept thinking, deep inside me, that this park was supposed to be abandoned and destroyed.

"Natsu, you coming?" Chiyo asks while stuffing things from Taro's backpack into her empty one, they would be sharing the weight of the food while I carried the more 'handy' objects.

"Yeah." I answered.

* * *

I honestly should have been expecting something bad to come out of this situation.

Chiyo and Taro were nowhere to be seen after the three of us had to split up to escape the clutches of the security guards that had come after us due to Taro unintentionally activating the alarms of the backstage of the theater.

And all that noise because of a plastic glove belonging to the costume of one of the main characters of the kids' story.

_Hoped it was worth it for Taro._

Okay, let me explain this whole situation.

We left the group and Kuma-onna behind like five minutes into this whole trip, and since Kuma-onna noticed us gone immediately we had to stay hidden from the security personnel (the other visitors not so much) when they passed us by. On one such occasion we discovered a back door leading to the staff rooms of the theater. And from then on out we just entered each and every empty room, looked around before leaving again, unfortunately Taro found his dream possession that we just had to have and took it with him.

And when they noticed it gone (ten or so minutes after we had left and were trying to find the exit to the theater) they started chasing after us.

Which then lead to us three splitting up to escape faster, and now I lost the two of them and I'm out of range for their walkie-talkies to work.

_Just great..._ Now _what?_

I sigh as I look around. I'm currently walking around in circles near this petting zoo place, the children's noise and excited cries make me want to stay far away from the place. Lazily, I raise my hand and scratch the back of my head, tussling my hair and making its strand perk up a bit. While not as messy as Taro's my hair surely wasn't straight as Mama's or spiky like Papa and Takeshi's.

_What to do?_

Guess I could go see what the whole fuss with the farm animals is about, though I don't really like being in the middle of that crowd made of squeaky kids. But there's not really anything else to do, the exotic garden was only fun the first two times I walked across it, and the arcade was way overcrowded. And the theater was just off limits.

And I believe Kuma-onna was in the kiddy zone so not a chance of me going there (since I didn't know if Chiyo or Taro were there as well).

Without anything else to do I walked slowly up to the wooden fences that kept the animals inside.

There weren't many in there, and all the animals were common farm animals. Two sheep, a goat and a pig, there were three chickens as well, and a duck staring suspiciously at me.

There's a box outside of the fences with vegetables for guests to feed the animals, and since I was already here I might as well do it. I grabbed a carrot from the box and turned back to the fence to see a sheep already waiting for the carrot. Gleaming eyes and a 'meh' sound trying to convey the message of 'feed me'.

I hold the carrot out to the sheep and she/he? takes it while munching slowly.

_She was kind of cool... and she looked soft._

"Hey, Mama! Are they made of cotton?" A little girl asks her mother on my far right.

I had to cough to cover up for the snort that escaped me. That mother gave me a look before smiling at her child.

"No, Kyoko, they are made of wool. Cotton comes from flowers." The mother explained.

"Aah~ But they look like big cotton balls!" The girl, Kyoko, replies.

_That they do_ , I thought as I fed the sheep another carrot.

I didn't pay anymore attention to the other kids around me and was quite content with just standing there having a staring contest with the munching sheep when someone stops right beside me and lifts up a kid over the fence and right on the face of the goat (who had come over to me and sheep-san after he had grown bored if the kids pointing at him).

I gapped as the kid burst into screams and tears while his father just laughed.

_Speaking of which..._

The kid, all fluffy brown hair and a head to big for his body, looked very familiar. Though he felt...

_**Empty**_.

My eyes widened as I recognized him. He was the kid who had his flame erased, the kid that had sprung up that beautiful orange flame. And the one holding him... was the guy working for  _Vongola_.

...

_There was a Vongola personnel right beside me._

There was a  _Vongola_  right beside me.

There was a Vongola right beside  _me_.

I felt myself frozen in place as this cold and unyielding fear overruled all of my senses. The logical part of my brain that told me I could just walk away without him noticing me was drowned out by the terrified and young part of my mind that knew exactly what would happen of he recognized me.

"PAPA PUT ME DOWN! NOOO! GO AWAY!" The little kids' shrieks sounded somewhat muffled in my head.

"Don't be afraid, Tsuna! He's not going to hurt my little Tuna-fish!" The man's laughter was echoing loudly and mockingly inside me.

My heart sped up and I felt my legs and arms lock into place as my breathing slowed to a stop.

I was panicking, I knew, but I couldn't do anything as I inwardly had a panic attack. My head was lowered and I was not showing any visible signs of distress so no one noticed. In my haste and pleading to the high heavens for the man to not noticed my presence I had inadvertently caused myself to suffer this ordeal alone.

_It hurt to breathe._

Closing my eyes I tried to picture different scenes to calm me down, Father had said that it worked to calm people down, but I kept failing as my mind just wouldn't cooperate with me. Instead of calm and quiet situations it kept tapping into the whole 'horror movie' type of scenario that I imagined would happen to me if I was found out.

I kept replaying back and forth the different scenarios, always terrified that they would learn about Chiyo, Elias and Taro.

_What would they do to them?_

_They would certainly harm them._

_They would try to make them into mindless weapons._

_**No** **!**  I can't let them find them!  **I need to protect them!**_

My eyes snapped open and I turned around and took off running away from the petting zoo area, I didn't care about the curious stares that passerby gave me and instead focused on just running.

In my defense, I was already pretty disoriented so I didn't actually realize where I was going until it actually came tumbling down in a mess of massive proportions. Quite literally too.

" **Watch out!** " A voice calls out.

I something push me from behind before I hear the 'zoom' sound made my a car that I had just narrowly avoided getting hit by. The car owner stopped as soon as I fell to the ground and he came out looking very worried before starting fussing over me and causing a crowd to form around me.

But I ignored every one of those people. Instead I focused on one particular individual that was standing a bit further away but still in my line of sight.

It was a cloaked figure, only the lower part of it's face could be seen, that looked exactly like the man that haunted my dreams. One major difference, though...

_This one was completely covered in white._

* * *

"What were you thinking! You could've been hurt!" Taro continued his rant while passing in front of me.

"T-Taro... Ca-Can we talk about this later? I-I'm busy being cho-choked by Chiyo here." I managed to gasp out from the choke hold Chiyo had on me.

Jesus was this girl strong. I was taller than her and yet I was left completely helpless when she kicked my chins and grabbed a hold of my neck.

Worse, I was left without a way to cover my ears while Kuma-onna shrieked about what I had done and caused, and I was also currently enduring the now ten-minute rant about safety I was getting from Taro.

It was not like it was my fault. I panicked.

"How did you even managed to not get hit by that car?! For real, your luck is going to run dry if you keep using it left and right!" Taro said with exasperation.

"I was pushed out of the way." I answered.

"By whom and did you at least say 'thank you for saving my sorry behind'?" Taro asked.

"I don't know and he left before I could." I admitted.

"He just left?" Chiyo raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." I answered.

"Liar. No one would leave after saving a kid from getting hit by a car." Chiyo said before tightening her hold on me.

I squirmed a bit more in her arms before giving up any attempts of getting her off me. I didn't even try to refute her accusation of me lying about the guy. It was partially true, I didn't actually know him.

And it was kind of like he wasn't here at all since I was the only one able to see him sitting at the edge of couch in the room we were in, staring at me with a chagrined smile plastered on his face.

It was getting hard to not stare back on him, but I didn't want to make the other two aware that I could see a fourth person in this room.

We were inside of one of the office rooms the park had just in case they needed to hold meetings with the staff members. The walls and furniture were simple and just a bit decorated, the coloring was of light tones and a bit of browns. It was highly professional but not very emotive, I didn't really like it.

Chiyo, having gotten bored of being acquaintance with my neck, let go of me and I fell with a thud to the ground. Groaning as I sat up and rubbed my sore neck.

"Mama will kill you when she finds out you almost got hit by a car.  _Twice_  today, actually." Chiyo said, adding the last part as an afterthought.

"Jeez, tell me something I haven't figured out already." I muttered.

"It's your fault you're in this mess, so you don't really have a right to be sulking." Chiyo retorted.

"I sulk if I want to!" I said, before blinking at her grinning face and slightly raised eyebrow," Not that I am sulking." I added.

"Yeah, right... And I own a mansion." Chiyo snorts.

"That mansion would probably a pile of rubble if you ever entered it." Taro comments.

"Oh, Taro-chan~ Why would that be?" Chiyo asks with a sweet tone of voice.

"Because you're not exactly the most careful of people." Taro answers.

"Can you two please stop for once?" I groan, my mind was not up to hear this two trade jabs at each other while I waited for my impending doom.

They do stop, adopting a more calm and cool expressions and they stare at my spread out figure as I moped (not that I would admit it to them) on the floor.

"I'm sure Mama won't be too harsh. If you explain what happen carefully..." Chiyo tried to reassure me.

"Chiyo, we left the group  _despite_  warnings  _not_   _to_ , we got  _into_  trouble and we  _split_   _up_ , something no one should do unless you knew the territory you know where exactly you are, and after we lost communication the right thing to do should've been to return to where the group would most likely be." I listed of with my fingers.

"Worse, I placed you and myself  _in danger_. We had no idea of who could be in this park, our joking around could've landed us in serious danger." I sighed," There was a  _ **Vongola**  _man in here, if he had found you... I would've never forgiven myself." I said, my throat closing up as the terrifying images of 'what ifs' started filling my mind.

Taro and Chiyo exchanged a look before sitting beside me on the floor.

"Natsu, don't worry. Nothing happened." Chiyo said with a calm voice as she brushed a few strands of hair out of my face.

"Yeah, you had no idea that there could be any Vongola around here. How could you? You're just a kid like us." Taro told me with honesty.

I looked at him and sighed.

"And they would have not cared one bit about that. I'm a kid but to them I am... no,  _we_  are  _weapons_." I told them," And I need to keep you safe. I can't let them find you... I don't want you to be in danger, to be hurt..."

I wanted to say more to them. To explain what happened better. To try and reassure them that we were safe right now. That they didn't need to worry.

But I failed miserably at that. Because after those words I couldn't say anything more. My throat closed up once more and sobs unexpectedly broke out of me. Tears spilling from my eyes as I gave in to the fear of letting them be found.

The flashback at what those people almost did to Chiara... The crying and shaking form of the little girl with red, red flames lapping all around her, while surrounded by the still smoking forms of her attackers.

_The streets bathed in red as the shouts and screams echoed through the alleys._

' **It was not always like that, little Temporale.** ' The shrouded white figure spoke for the first time.

Although I couldn't answer to it, shaking with sobs and buried underneath the dog pile Chiyo and Taro had immediately sprung on me, I could watch it through bleary eyes. Standing just beside them while kneeling down to our level.

It was smiling. But unlike the other, it was not a cold or cruel smile, it looked honestly gentle and caring.

I wanted to ask who he was, or what he meant, but I just couldn't say a word.

Not that I needed to anyway.

' **Long ago, before all this started, there was a time of peace. Did you know that the Storms were considerate royalty once?** ' It asked.

_Royalty?_

' **A very wise and powerful man once turned to the Storms and said that they were never meant to be like what they were seen as.** ' The figure said,'  **The man said that they were all meant to be queens and kings, lords of everything. But that they were misplaced due to an accident.** ' The figure said quietly.

_An accident?_

' **Storms are very powerful, little Temporale, though they are also very weak, in a sense. They do not have what most take for granted.** ' The figure continued on sadly,'  **They do not possess bonds.** '

_Bonds? Like... connections?_

' **Storms are very feared but not very known. When they do come to light, fear overrules the realization that maybe they do not want to destroy or harm anything. That's why Storms hide from the eyes of society, living under the shadows and never out and about in the light.** '

So, Chiyo, Taro and Elias can never have a normal life? Am I bound to fail in keeping them safe?

' **No, little Temporale, for there have been others before you that did. Like I said, it was not always like this.** ' The figure laughed a bit.

_So why did it change?_

' **Because people don't live forever, little one.** ' The figure smiled,'  **But don't be sad, do not cry... I'm sure that if you really wish for it, if you find the resolve to keep them safe, then fate will work to make sure that it happens.** ' The figure finished.

_I want to keep them safe. I'll never let anything harm them!_

The figure smiled.

' **You are so alike... Though it does not come as a surprise. You are, after all, him.** ' The figure sighed.

I am who? My name is Natsushi... not any one else.

The figure gave me a mysterious smile.

' **And my name is Remiel, little Temporale. Whenever you fear that you might stumble and fall... don't ever forget this: " _You do not stand alone. For a single flame cannot burn away the darkness of the night"_.**   **Farewell, little one.** ' The figure said as it vanished.

I didn't actually realize he was fading away until he completely vanished. His words echoed inside of me.

_You do not stand alone. For a single flame cannot burn away the darkness of the night..._

What a strange sentence. It felt almost nostalgic to hear it... Like someone had told me it before, but that was impossible.

"Are you okay now, Natsu?" Chiyo asked, loosening the tight embrace she had on my midsection.

"Y-yeah... Thanks guys." I smiled a bit shakily at them.

They slowly let go of me completely, though I didn't sit back up from the ground. I felt something shimmer out of the corner of my eye and turned my head to the right.

There was an metal plate with slits that blew cold air into the room, down on the floor, slightly hidden from sight by one of the arm chairs. It was not very big, but we three could still fit through it. And from between the slits I could see something glowing.

It was just shimmering a bit. It was barely visible and very faint, but even so I though I felt a slight pulse from it.

Like a pull that called out to me and said 'Follow me'.

Rolling over and crawling closer to the vent I see the glowing thing inch further away from me, not far enough for it to become completely invisible but enough for me to not be able to get a good look at it either.

"Natsu what's wrong?" Taro asked, confused.

"Can't you see? There's something there!" I said.

"No there's not." Chiyo huffs crouching beside me.

"Yes there is! Right there, shimmering a bit!" I said, pointing to the shimmering thing through the slits.

"Maybe only you can see it, Natsu." Taro said," He did see it from his right point of view." Taro added.

I blinked up at him when I realized he might be right. Closing my left eye I stared back at the shimmering thingy.

It was no longer faint, instead it was solid and bright. Sparkling with giddy energy made of blue rippling flames, it hovered a bit over the ground and emitted what sounded like a low echo of drops of water hitting the ground.

_Like rain._

The glowing orb fluttered further away, pulsing stronger than ever. Pulling me to reach out and follow it.

"Taro, bring me my backpack, please. I need to open this thing up." I say, opening my other eye and staring at the screws holding the plate in place.

"You're going to get into more trouble if you leave this room, Natsu." Taro warned.

"If they say anything against you, tell them that you tried to keep me in here but couldn't and followed after me to keep me out of trouble." I smile at him over my shoulder.

He stands there staring at me, rather intensively into my eyes, before huffing and grabbing my bag from the couch.

Taking the screwdriver out of the bag I start working on loosening the plate. Chiyo goes near the door keeping an open ear to see if no one disturbs us as we get out of here. It look me about two minutes before I pushed the plate out of the way and turned back. Chiyo and Taro had already made a file behind me, with Chiyo taking point and Taro was in the middle of the two of us.

Nodding, I turned back into the vent and closed my left eye, since it made seeing the orb easier. I knew Chiyo would close the vent after she entered, though we couldn't replace the screws, and that Taro was keeping tabs on her behind him in order to not leave her behind by accident.

The vent circulation was like a maze, much larger than the one back at the preschool, and if it was not for the orb guiding me (or me following it around) we could've gotten lost inside of it. As it was, we took about three minutes before we found the exit, and thankfully the exit opened outwards like a pet door. Though I scratched the top of my forehead when I bumped it against the metal.  _Ouch..._

The glowing orb remained in place until the three were out of the vent before slowly turning and started fluttering away, I signaled Taro and Chiyo to remain close to me and started following the orb again. It led us through crowds (and I bumped against several people who came out of my blind side) before stopping in front of one particular attraction.

I looked up and saw the monochromatic ferry wheel that was tall as a skyscraper, before I opened my left eye and the colors returned to the world. Where once was grey, white and black turned into blues and golden's, pink and bright green.

It looked like a carnival. We hadn't been here before, so it was either a part of the park that we missed or the part where the school group was staying in while we 'explored'. Either way, we were here now and the line for the ferris wheel wasn't that long, so we might as well go for it.

We were approached by the mechanic that asked us where our parents were but we just pointed to a random couple and said that they let us go up alone.

It was laughable that it worked with no questions asked. Really what were people thinking these days?

We got into one of the ferris wheels boxes. It was round and with slightly cushioned seats, and a round turning thing that made it spin (the attendant told us while he helped us inside) and there were windows all around, lower enough that we could see everything if we stood on our knees.

After five minutes of waiting, the ferris wheel started going round and round. Ever so slowly we watched as the ground become further and further away from us, the people becoming small dots on the ground and the park as a whole became visible.

It was still early, maybe it was almost two or three in the afternoon, but the sky had a kind of orange twinge to it. But that might've been just me who saw it.

Taro and Chiyo were loving the ferris wheel, wide smiles and astonished gazes while we reached the top of the wheel.

I smiled at them, resting my head on my crossed arms as I saw the blue twinged orange sky above the colorful/non-colorful park. My eyes became somewhat hazy, and tired.

_Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a while..._

* * *

I woke up with a start, a muffled scream to my far left. It was night and the air was really cold, snow fell from the sky and frost was growing over the wooden structure above my head. Wait... wooden?

Another scream but this time it was more of a whimper. Turning my head to see what was going on I see something that made my blood freeze in my veins.

A looming dark figure stood over a nicely dressed woman, the moonlight made the few jewels she wore shine, and it also allowed me to see the big hands pinning the woman to the wall. Her tears created wet tracks on her cheeks as she tried to get away from the man.

For only a man could give that leering and dangerous expression. That smile that made my skin crawl, the way his eyes dimmed the light and made me feel scared.

I saw the man's face get closer to the struggling woman and I was just about to shout at him to stop when a hand closed around my mouth while an arm circled around me, pulling me close.

" _Non fare un suono! Non riesci di fargli sapere che siamo qui._ "A voice whispered to me, right behind my ear. (Don't make a sound! You can't let him know we are here.)

I struggled against the hands that held me but stilled when I hear the woman scream when the man ripped off the top of her dress.

The hand that held me close suddenly turned me around and covered my ears, letting go of my mouth and hugging me against his chest.

Because I could now see who it was that holding me. He looked about six or seven years younger than from my other memories but the eyes were the same.

The electrifying green eyes that made my struggles disappear and my chest tighten.

" _Shh, non ti preoccupare. Egli non sa che siamo qui_." he smiled, though it was strained and I could not hear his voice very well with his hands covering my ears. (Shh, don't worry. He won't know we are here.)

" _Appena riaddormentarsi, Isaia. Mi dispiace. Non possiamo aiutarla._ " He whispered as he held me tighter," (Just go back to sleep, Isaia. I'm sorry. We can't help her.)

His words felt heavy. The wetness of tears falling on my neck and the warmth of his body against the cold night was all that I tried to think about while I tried to block out the echoing screams.

My eyes looked straight into the stone wall that was behind his back, my eyes imagining symbols carved into it. Glowing runes from fairy tales that kept the good guys safe from the bad guys.

'But...' the though popped up inside my mind just before I closed my eyes again,'Aren't fairy tales just make-believe? Will they never come true?'

_Whenever you fear that you might stumble and fall... don't ever forget this... You do not stand alone. For a single flame cannot burn away the darkness of the night..._

**_Then who do we stand with?_ **

A flash of light temporarily blinds me, forcing me to blink away the dots and disorientation for a moment. Before I stand straight again and look around me.

It was no longer the alley we were in. It was a rooftop from a brown stone building, a busy street right beneath me and the afternoon warm sky above me. Clouds lazily passing by and the wind caressed my face softly, ruffling my hair and making my long bangs fall over my eyes.

Using my hands to pull them behind my ears I look to my side to see three boys and a little girl sitting together on top of a bunch of bags and thin blankets, two of them playing cards while another one was just scribbled on a paper sheet.

The girl was looking over the boy's shoulder to see his scribbles, a small smile on her face.

The sun made her hair lighter, the raven black hair and caramel brown eyes sparkled, she was wearing simple clothes, a rather ratty dress and a pair of sandals. The boy she was leaning over had slightly long hair, tied in a pony tail and his green eyes smiled with mischief has he continued to scribble. His clothes consisted of a plain white shirt with a pair of dark blue trousers, he was barefoot, though there was a pair of sandals beside him.

The boys playing cards were familiar, one more than the other, both wore light shirts and darker pants and boots. The black haired, red eyed boy wore a orange bandanna around his head and it made his hair stick up on top. By the look on his face it was clear that he was losing the card game. The white haired and green eyed boy was just smiling through the corner of his mouth and shooting the black haired one looks of barely contained laughter.

" _Nero, Nico, penso di uscire per un po._ " I say before beginning to turn around. (Nero, Nico, I think I'm going out for a bit.)

" _Non fare niente che non farebbe._ " The black haired one said in a gruff voice. (Don't do anything we wouldn't do.)

The white haired boy, who I knew to be Nico, smiled before nodding to me.

The girl, Gracia, turned suddenly to me with wide eyes and shook her head, running to me and grabbing hold of my shirt. Her frown and shaky expression startled me.

" _Non andare! Non lasciare!_ " She said in a loud tone of voice. (Don't go! Don't leave!)

" _Sto solo andando a fare una passeggiata, Gracia. Qual è la cosa peggiore che potrebbe succedere?_ " I told her with a smile. (I'm just going for a walk, Gracia. What is the worst that could happen?)

Gracia didn't look all that convinced because she turned back to the brown haired boy and gave him a pointed look.

He stares back at her before releasing a puff of laughter and getting up.

" _Sì, sì, io tenerlo fuori dai guai._ " He smiles. (Yeah, yeah, I'll keep him out of trouble.)

She lets go of my shirt and goes back to sit with the other two boys, who are snickering at my expense.

I glare, without much heat, at the boy that grins at me before turning back again and jumping down to the next rooftop in front of us. I start running across the length of houses that go in all directions. The sound of footsteps and the warm presence near my right lets me know that the boy is keeping up with me.

_Not that it surprises me._

_Pace has always had a way to keep himself at the same level as me._ Perhaps it's because we have been together for a long time.

The summer weather made running against the wind a relief, the sun burned my skin. My eyes gazed at the view before me, the city where we lived from the point of view that most did not know of. To the city inhabitants, it was just a maze of narrow and dark alleys, with only a few spacious streets were markets were built in and where in every dark corner there was a thief or a thug ready to take all your money or life.

_But I saw something completely different._

To my eyes I saw a huge story book. Every step I gave had a purpose, every wall and stone had a history behind it, the people who lived in this city all had mysteries to their names and challenges they would one day face. It was what helped me detach the cruel life on the streets from the life I wanted to have, to show and give to others.

So, even if I had to lie to myself, I would believe the stories that my mind created.

_It was better than the alternative, anyway..._

" _Prendere che Vongola spazzatura!_ " A voice shouts, the sound coming from a narrow street just a little ways in front of us. (Catch that Vongola trash!)

I pause in my running and look curiously to where the sound came from.

_Should I or should I not?_

" ** _Isaia_**..." Pace moans.

" _Dai, Pace, potrà essere interessante!_ " I laugh, taking off again. (Come on, Pace, it might be interesting!)

I hear a few grumbles and hissed swearwords before the sound of footsteps match mine. I grin over my shoulder at his disgruntled expression.

We quickly reach to where the sound came from and quietly look down on the street below to see what was happening. There were about six thugs and a bigger guy surrounding the knelled figure of a teenager (maybe fourteen to fifteen years old) who wore a white shirt and blue pants. His messy curly hair was light green but I couldn't see the color of his eyes.

His clothes were dirty and I could see red blood coming from wounds that littered his body.

" _Dicci dove il bastardo bionda è!_ " The big guy shouts to the teens' face. (Tell us where the blonde bastard is!)

The teen, who had his head lowered, lifted it. While allowing me to see his eyes, of a sharp blue color, it also allowed me to see his lips perfectly. Which meant that i was not wrong to understand the words he spoke to the big guy.

" _Perché dovrei dirtelo? Figlio di puttana._ " He says with a mocking expression on his face. (Why should I tell you? You son of a bitch.)

The big guy's face turns an interesting shade of red as he roars in anger and lifts his fist to the teens' face. Punching him and making his head loll as he staggers a bit.

" _Oof, che era un diavolo di un pugno!_ " I wince. (Oof, that was one heck of a punch!)

Pace makes an agreement sound from the back of his throat.

" _Che ne dici di dare quel ragazzo dai capelli verdi una mano amica?_ " I ask Pace with a sad smile. (How about we give that green haired guy a helping hand?)

" _Avete intenzione di aiutarlo in ogni modo ..._ " Pace mutters before nodding reluctantly. (You are going to help him either way...)

I smile widely at him.

" _Tu mi conosci troppo bene, Pace._ " I laugh. (You know me too well, Pace.)

My laughter must've caught the attention of the men below because they gazed upwards at us.

" _Andate via, voi ratti!_ " The bigger man shouts at us, shaking his fist at us. (Go away, you rats!)

I smile down at the man, reaching out with my hand and focusing on my fingers. They sparkled with green strings of lightning which made the men below turn an unhealthy shade of white.

Dark clouds quickly formed above us, Pace helping in coordinating where they should go and in focusing the power in the lightning.

I see the bigger man reach out for a gun but his shaky hands are too slow compared to me.

The men around him stare wide eyed at me, a few muttering prayers and disbelief at what they were seeing. And I had to admit, as my point of view changed from first person to observer, that I was a terrifying sight.

Where once was the smiling young boy, who looked like he had just turned ten or something, was not what could be mistaken for a demon. Dark hair fanned out around his face with piercing glowing sea blue eyes and a crown of lightning caressing his head. Slightly behind him, to his right, stood another demon. With cold green eyes that sent shills down their spines, and green waves of electricity ran up and down his whole body.

With one last smile to the men below, I prepared to snap my fingers.

" _ **Scottare!**_ " I called out as I snapped them. (Sear!)

Blinding green energy descended from the dark clouds above and into the narrow street, the shock wave that followed raised a cloud of dust and made the hairs of the back of my neck stand on end. When I returned to Isaia's point of view, I saw him jump down to the street, ignoring rather easily the charred bodies all around the shocked figure of the green haired teen.

" _Buon pomeriggio a te! Ho pensato che potrebbe avere bisogno di una mano._ " I said with a bit of glee. (Good afternoon to you! Thought you might need a hand.)

The green haired teen looked startled at me. His eyes wide and unbelieving, I don't think he even noticed that Pace had cut the ropes that had been tying his hands.

" _T-t-tu ch-chi s-sei?_ " He shakily asked. (Who are you?)

Isaia blinked before laughing at his expression.

" _Ahh~ Mio nome?_ " Isaia asked. (Aah~ My name?)

Isaia looked at Pace who shook his head.

" _Credo che tu può chiamare me ... **Temporale**_." Isaia answers, blue eyes flashing like lightning ready to strike. (I guess you can call me... Temporale.)


	26. Part I - Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before the Finale for Part I!

_"Credo che tu può chiamare me ... **Temporale**." Isaia answers, blue eyes flashing like lightning ready to strike. (I guess you can call me... Temporale.)_

The green haired teen looks wide eyed up at me. There's this disbelieving air around him that make me grin.

I was about to say something else to him, had my mouth opened to speak and all, when a loud bang and a cloud of smoke fill the street behind us. We could hear screams and there was a vague tingling on my skin that made me cautious.

My danger sensor was trying to tell me something, warning me that it was not over yet. Though I couldn't understand what it was warning me about in the first place.

I turned to Pace, going to ask what he thought was going on, when I heard the green haired teen answer the yet unspoken question.

"L' Ragas siano qui ... Lo hanno trovato." He mutters. (The Ragas are here... They've found me.)

"Ragas? Vuoi dire i mafiosi che vagare attorno al porto?" Pace asks with a steadily darkening expression. (Ragas? You mean the mafiosi that roam around the harbor?)

"Sì. Devo avvertire Giotto ..." The teen answers, with his hands starting to shake. (Yes. I must warn Giotto...)

"Giotto? Tuo... fratello?" I ask, slightly turning my head to the side. (Giotto? Your... brother?)

"No, egli è mio Capo." The green haired teen stands up. (No, he's my Boss.)

The teen easily tops me, not that hard considering I'm still growing at an annoyingly slow pace, being a full head and a half taller than Pace (meaning I only reach about his elbow) and was a lot broader on the shoulders than the two of us.

Pace frowned before grabbing me by the shoulder, pushing me slightly behind him, before he turned back to the green haired teen.

"Che non è una cosa che ci coinvolge noi." Pace said. (That is something not something that involve us.)

The teen nodded with comprehension.

"Grazie per avermi aiutato." The teen bowed his head slightly. (Thank you for helping me.)

"Nessun problema. Che era solo la giusta cosa da fare." I smile up at him. (No problem. It was only the right thing to do.)

"Anche così ... prendete questo. Potrebbe aiutarti un giorno." The teen says, rummaging through his pockets. (Even so... take this. It might help you someday.)

He held out his open hand.

A single gleaming and small knife in it. A carved handle with a emblem of some sort on it.

Pace raises an eyebrow before snorting. I elbow him, smile at the teen again (who became slightly flustered due to Pace's reaction) and took the knife. If felt...

_Different._

This was  _not_  a  _normal_  knife...

"Se mai ci dovessimo incontrare di nuovo... Mio nome è Lampo." The teen says with a hesitant expression.

"Non posso dire il nostro nome, scusa." I winced. (I can't tell you our names, sorry.)

He smiled down at us and waved my apology off.

I wanted to say something else to him, I don't know what exactly, but before I could there was another loud explosion and my vision went dim. Everything shifted before I stood on a whole new scene.

And I instantly knew that this was not going to be a good memory, for the sole purpose that I didn't have control of my movements at all. I felt restricted, like there were hands grabbing me and keeping me in place.

In reality, it was more like there actually were shackles around me. I could see everything around me but I couldn't do anything, not at all.

My vision was still a bit hazy, but the bright colors and heat made it pretty easy to deduce what was going on.

_Everything was on fire._

* * *

What I was seeing now was much worse. The entire mansion was on fire, the windows were shattered and the broken pieces of glass had been blown outside, scattering all over the grass and gravel, making it very dangerous to walk around.

There were screams everywhere, people running like headless chickens trying to find somewhere safe to be in, bullets being sprayed in all directions as they tried to fight off invaders that simply did not exist.

But worse than the screams, it was the smell of burnt flesh that made me choke.

The shouted warnings of Nero and Pace behind me made me turn around. Their hair was windswept and there were thorns in their clothes as they jumped out of the bushes, Nero in particular was fussing about his bandanna before untying it and placing it over his mouth and nose.

Pace also looked very uncharacteristic himself. Gone was the laid-back and responsible look he had, instead replaced with an alert and cold demeanor.

And even if they tried not to show it, to me, it was clear as day. Their emotions coming off from them in vibes.

They were shocked, scared and very nervous but there was a look of smoldering anger reflected in their burning eyes. Pace tried to grab me, he and Nero had come after me to try and stop me after all, but I evaded his reach and took off deeper into the burning chaos around us.

Normally, when these kind of things happened, I would keep my distance from these matters and get the furthest away I could from the situation, but not now.

_There was something here..._

Something that called for me.  _Begged_   _me_  for  _help_.

It made my heart ache and the air to freeze in my lungs. I sensed Pace and Nero right at my heels and I was just about to be caught when a chilling and piercing scream broke straight through me, coming from the back patio of the mansion.

When I bolted in the direction of it, hearing curses flying from Pace's lips and Nero making very graphic descriptions of my eminent fate, the scene that I was faced with made my entire world pause.

Everything slowed to a halt as I understood what I was seeing.

There was twelve or so men dressed in expensive suits around the small pink haired girl, whose long hair was being harshly pulled on by a man wearing a hat. Her nightdress was covered in blood and soot, screaming and crying while trashing wildly as she tried to get free from the imposing and clearly not friendly men.

The one grabbing her hair dragged her by it further away from the burning mansion, and onto the glass covered grass, had a leering smile on his face while the ones around him laughed loudly at her futile struggles.

It made my blood boil seeing her feet bleeding from the various cuts she had on them, let alone the state she was in, but what pushed me over the edge was what happened next.

Her eyes, which had been closed as she struggled, suddenly opened and she turned her head to the side. Her eyes stared straight into mine...

The glistering, terrified and miserable purple eyes flashed for a second and changed into a dangerously dark blue flaming glare.

Hatred practically rolled off her in waves in that one second.

_Yet..._

Yet, I felt no hatred for myself or for my friends. I felt a silent plea for help. To help her fight off these monsters.

And when I realized what it was trying to say, I also realized one thing.

The plea was almost made in a way that it called me out like  ** _kin_**.

_And that could only mean that she was like us..._

_She was like me, Pace, Nero and Nico and Grazia..._

**_This girl was like us!_ **

**_She was one of us!_ **

_We were not the only ones..._  How many more  _are_  there? How many people are suffering like this because they have powers that they did not ask for?

...

_How many have died because of these powers?_

My mind was racing while I stared back into those crying eyes. Part of me wanted nothing more than just scream at the world and ask why he was doing this but the other part of me, the one that was still all but a small quivering child dressed in rags and running through dark alleys and streets searching for warmth and acceptance, that was just so tired of everything took measure into it's own hands.

I didn't realize what I was doing until I felt the fully charge energy materializing and creating sparks of lightning around my fingers. Nero had already taken his knife and stolen revolver from his holsters and was pointing it straight at any one who came from behind us. While Pace had instantly taken my right side and charged his own hands with beautiful green lightning.

His eyes flashed brightly with power, their green color taking a more intense shade.

Nero's eyes had lost their red, fully submerging in deep purple and black swirling irises as his own power charged into his gun.

The three of us were standing at the ready and at an unspoken signal the world exploded into a shower of blue and green light, energy making our hairs stand on end while Nero's vicious laughter echoed through the deafening bang of power that had been released.

The men had not even had time to scream before their strings were cut like unnecessary puppets.

After the energy died down, Pace and Nero took off to finish any remaining ones, I moved to be beside the curled up and crying from of the girl. My touch made her flinch away from me so I tried to talk in order to calm her down, but she remained scared no matter what I said.

Even I forgot instantly what exactly I was saying, trembling as her fear passed onto me when the realization that there were others like us out there somewhere began to fully sink into my mind.

"Come ti chiami?" I remember asking when her sobs became quieter. (What is your name?)

"Non te lo dirò! Mi troveranno se lo faccio!" She screamed at me, her throat sounded raw. (I will not tell you! They will find me if I do!)

"Allora io non chiederò di nuovo. Va tutto bene..." I murmured to her, kneeling lower towards her, hands clearly visible to her and only approaching her slowly. As to not startle her. (Then I won't ask again. It's okay...)

"Non si vuole essere trovati? Forse ci è famiglia dei vostri che sono bene." I continued. (You don't want to be found? Maybe there's family of yours that are alright.)

"No! Non posso tornare!" She pleaded this time. Turning her swollen and red eyes to face me for a moment before looking away. (No! I cannot return!)

"Perchè no? Cosa c'è di sbagliato?" I ask with a strange growing sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. (Why not? What is wrong?)

"Essi potranno cercano solo di mandarmi via di nuovo!" She cried. (They will just try to send me away again!)

"Perché avrebbero dovuto farlo?" I asked. (Why would they do that?)

"Perché loro dice che io sono inutili! Io sono niente di più che un mostro!" The girl finally revealed, her shoulders shaking with sobs as they intensified again. (Because they say I'm worthless. That I am nothing more than a monster!)

I stilled beside her. My own memories of my dark past, mixing in with Nero's and Nico's own pasts, made my mind go blank for a moment.

"Non credere a quello che ti hanno detto. Tu non sei un mostro." I smiled down at her. (Do not believe what they have told you. You are not a monster.)

"Come fai a saperlo?" She asked with a sarcastic disdain at herself. (How do you know?)

I gave her another smile and knelt on one knee in front of her. Lifting my right hand and igniting it with the pure and sparkling flame of blue and green, the darker undertones of purple at the center and turning fainter as it reached the tips of the fireball.

"Perché noi non siamo mostri." I told her, my eyes becoming lighter and glowing with power. (Because we are not monsters.)

Her wide eyes become like full moons, gazing straight into my flames and her tears stop flowing.

Hope, awe and such fragile confidence and longing were swirling in a mix of want and realization as she fully began to believe my words.

"Non sono un mostro..." She whispered to herself. (I'm not a monster.)

"Esattamente. Tu non sei un mostro,  _Marzia_." I smile. (Exactly. You are not a monster, Marzia.)

"Marzia?" She looks up at me with a confused expression.

"Sì. Un bel nome per una bella signora." I give her a grin. (Yes. A lovely name for a lovely lady.)

She scowls at me.

"Io non sono una signora." She says. (I am not a lady.)

"Oh, davvero?" I raise an eyebrow at her response. (Oh, really?)

"Sì davvero!" She continues to scowl, adding a pout to her lips almost unconsciously. (Yes really!)

"Allora vorresti apparire come un ragazzo?" I ask in a jokingly tone. (Then would you look like a boy?)

"Sì, lo farei!" She stated with a firm and just a bit watery tone of voice. (Yes, I would!)

"Bene allora..." I sighed. (Well then...)

She gave me a confused glance but before she saw exactly what I had done, I had pulled from the holster underneath my shirt my knife and had grabbed her hand, with oh-so gentle hands, and cut it with one easy swipe.

Her eyes fell down to the ground as she saw the pink strands of hair settle on the grass.

I waited a moment in silence, placing my knife back in my holster and ignoring the intake of breath Pace had taken (nor Nero's guffaw of laughter as he saw what I had done), and waited for her reaction.

In all honesty, I expected a lot worse than a loud slap and a mutter of curses from her.

Pace stared at me like I had grown a second head all while we returned back home. Back to Nico and Grazia with our new member walking beside Nero and listening to the rules of the group.

_And I had to admit..._

The red hand print on my face really did sting.

_She has one hell of an arm..._

Suddenly everything grows dim again and the forces that had been keeping me in place disappear like dust in the wind. I blink once to get the dimness to disappear completely but between one blink and the next I open my eyes to see the afternoon sky of the amusement park, Kokuyo Land.

* * *

Raising my head, I blink tiredly and yawn before stretching the stiffness of my arms and neck.

I turn around to see Chiyo and Taro yawning as well, sitting back into the seats and basically lazing on them.

"Are you awake now, Natsu?" Chiyo asked," Took you long enough. The ride is almost over." She said.

"Oh... It's okay. We can always come back here with Takeshi and Mama and Father." I shrug my shoulders weakly.

"Like Mama is going to let you out of her sight when she finds you almost got hit by a car. Again." Chiyo snorts.

"Don't be a meanie, Chiyo." I sigh.

She was right, I knew that of course, but a boy can always dream can't he.

"I'm not being mean, I'm being realistic." Chiyo said with a smirk.

"Then please leave me to my unrealistic expectations, I want to savor this last moment of freedom before I'm deep fried by Mama's furious look." I sigh again.

"I'm sure she won't be that angry at you..." Taro tried to reassure me but was stopped by the looks he was getting from Chiyo and I.

"Taro, bud, trust me when I say that she will be mad at me." I told him.

"He's right. Mama is going to place him on a year long timeout." Chiyo nodded.

I cringed at her response.

She was right. Again.

I was deader than dead when Mama got her hands on me.

_Maybe it was Father who picked up the phone?_

...

_Nah, where in Murphy's Law could that happen?_

Umm...?

_How do I know what Murphy's Law is?_

"Natsu, you're spacing out again." Chiyo nudges me with her outstretched hand.

"Oh, sorry... Thanks." I mutter.

I look over my shoulder and back outside of the compartment we were in. The ground was closer, the attractions and people weren't just small ants anymore, nor was it hard to differentiate who was who.

Their clothes and colors were not merging with one another in a large mix of chaos and confusion, I could clearly see several uniforms and a large group of kids with hats like the ones from our prescho-...

_Oh._

The man that operated the ride was getting yelled at by a man wearing a blue guard uniform and beside the two of them, ahead of the group of children, was a woman with crossed arms and frazzled.

And just beside that woman there was another, more composed, woman with dark hair and a serene smile in her face.

Her smile didn't reach her eyes, which were cold and I could swear I saw angry sparks coming from them.

A chill went down my spine.

"Mama's down there..." I say in a horrified whisper.

"WHAT?!" "MRS. YAMAMOTO?" Chiyo and Taro exclaim with equally scared expressions.

"Yes... I'm gone. I'm in sooo much trouble!" I curl into myself as I see that the ride is oh-so slowly losing speed and reaching the ground.

"Well... "Taro began," It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, though you were kind of annoying at times, I really did like having you around." Chiyo nods.

I glare at the two of them.

Making fun of my doomed situation, those brats.

Chiyo got up on her knees and looked out of the window and towards the crowd, trying to spot Mama. And when she did and was seen (which was easily deduced by the way she briefly froze in place) she smiled cutely and waved at her.

"Chiyo... please don't tempt her. We're already in for a rude awakening, don't make it worse." I plead with her.

"Aah~ If Mama asks why I'm here, I'll just tell her I followed after you to keep you out of trouble. Taro didn't want to be alone so he tagged along." Chiyo shrugged repentantly.

"Why must I always be the scapegoat?" I whine at her.

"Who else could fit the part?" Chiyo jokes," I don't know anyone else who has such a comedic life other than you."

"My life is a comedy thanks to you and the rest of the whole family..." I sigh tiredly, letting my head fall into the seat of the compartment and curled up, again, more comfortably so I could patiently wait until my doom came and opened the door (that was right in front of me).

I don't know how long I stayed curled up like that, maybe for a few three more minutes or so, until the door was quite literally flung open by Mama.

The ride had stopped and instantly Mama had been running towards our compartment.

Unlike what I thought she would be like, Mama didn't scream.

She didn't shout and ask what we were thinking when we did what we did. She never said a word.

Mama simply picked me and Chiyo up, and Taro was holding onto my Mamas' skirt, taking silent comfort in seeing us all right.

We all walked towards the crowd of people, with Kuma-onna fuming at us and saying quite a few nasty things about us and our 'adventures', the other kids were all looking wide-eyed at us, fearful of the way Kuma-onna was talking and how we were always getting into trouble.

_Mama did not care about what she was saying._

Almost like she wasn't listening to anything in this world, she just kept walking straight through the crowd.

Memories of Isaia's past, the way he grew up and how he suffered in regret and pain at not even thinking that there might've been more like him that would be hunted down, the way he smiled down at Marzia, trying to calm her down.

**_Monster..._ **

_That's what she had called herself._

_That's what her family had called her._

I clutched a tighter grip on my Mama's jacket.

_I was so_ **lucky** _. I was_ **blessed** _. I was_ **loved** _._

How could I have not seen this before?  _How could I take this for granted?_

It hurt more to have Mama not yell at me, not shout or say she was disappointed and angry at me, than to have her not do anything. Because it showed that no matter what I did, she would never hate me.

She would never do anything to harm me, no matter how much I harmed her with worries or even with the reciprocations of my actions.

_She was my Mama..._

Had Isaia had a mother? Had he known what family was like before that all happened?

As much as I tried to tell myself that he might've had one, I couldn't really fool myself. The way he lived and the way he reasoned, taking on thugs with little care of who they are or who they might've had waiting for them to come home told me that he never really thought about it.

Not in a uncaring or careless way but in the way that he never really connected that they might have a family.

Because to him, a family was not a reality he knew about. He never called Pace a brother or Grazia a little sister. He said group and the others, but the closest thing he called them to family was kin. Like they were the same species, members of the same race that gang up together.

A pack, but never  _actual_  family.

But this was a younger Isaia, before Giotto took them in. Giotto treated Isaia like a son, and perhaps he treated the others just the same. Maybe it was only then that Isaia learned about family, about it's importance and to always cherish them.

Unlike what I had been doing just a few hours ago.

I admit that I have been careless lately.

My life is filled with comfort and I never really had to fight for the right to have it. I have people looking after me, who love me, and others that would welcome me with open arms into their family.

I have friends and I have goals.

In a nutshell, I have everything I could ever ask for. There's nothing missing in my life and I carelessly just think about it as nothing less than what I deserve.

This kind of thoughts will get me killed one day. That or worse...

When was the last time me or Chiyo tried to play one of those games that taught us how to silently move? When was the last time Father looked at us with glee when one of us won against the other on a dare?

Had we ever played that with Taro?

When had Elias last been at our house, goofing around and generally being the big sister she had always been to us?

My eyes widened with tears as I reflected on the past month or so.

We had grown accomodated to a routine.

And because this routine was safe, we had no longer considerate anything around us as dangerous.

There had been Vongola here today. How long had that man been in Namimori?

Had he even sensed me? Did they know about us?

The fear and anxiety were making me tremble. All what I had seen and learned over the memories of Isaia and the entire day we had just had began to fully settle on my mind.

The car that had almost hit me, and had been quite truthfully ignored for the rest of the afternoon, just brought on a new wave of terror onto me.

_I could've **died**._

I can't even try to turn a blind eye on it.

I could have died. Left Chiyo, Elias and Taro and the rest of the Storms without protection or knowledge of who they were.

Chiyo never showed any traces that she had been seeing past memories, so I think it's only the Temporale that does. Meaning that if the Temporale is gone then the cycle would just repeat itself.

Another generation of blood and war, mindless weapons and a pointless death.

I did not want that.

I did not what that to happen.

I wanted Chiyo, Elias, Taro and the others to live a good life.

To learn how to smile and live the way they want to live.

I want them to be free...

My eyes blazed with an ethereal glow that reflected on Chiyo's wide pink ones.

The tears streaming from them, creating tear tracks on my cheeks, only made the glow intensify, shimmer and swirl.

"Ma-mama..." I croaked though my sobs.

I heard a soft hum from her throat.

"I'm sorry..." I said.

And there was all that I could say to her.

My own throat closed on me and I could only helplessly cry as all my fears, anxieties and regrets pilled up on my shoulders, before my tears and just the comfort of Mama's gentle arms around me turned those burdens into nothing more than dust in the wind.

Sleep and exhaustion washed over me and I closed my eyes.

Unaware that deep inside me the glowing blue flames had opened their eyes and senses and were now trying to escape through the small cracks around them.

The crackling green turned and turned impatiently around the other two flames, while the deep purple one growled at them, trying and failing to go back to slumber.

And far deeper into me that those three unified flames, there was a beautiful glow that was hidden by firm yet caring hands.

A smile on it's lips as he gazed down at it with his sole glowing eye.

_'Soon, my precious Temporale...'_  It whispered.

* * *

Around three or so days had passed from that field trip.

To say that nothing changed would be a lie. Taro was in a month long timeout with all his 'play-dates' and general entertainment taken away for that period, though he was happy to talk to us by the phone and rejoiced that he got to keep that prop arm he wanted (signed at that...).

The three of us had been suspended from preschool for the rest of the year and there was a matter regarding our documents that needed to be checked. Father had jokingly told us that there was actually no matter (we had been worried they had found out about Chiyo) and that it was only a more polite way to say we got kicked out of preschool.

Though Mama told us that the third year classroom teacher had welcomed us to show up next year, and that if we did well in it we might as well just graduate early and begin first grade sooner.

We had been impressed by that and Elias had immediately started telling us all about her school (which only Chiyo could attend since it was a all girls' school) before Takeshi appeared and informed her that we were going to his school, Namimori Elementary.

Elias had looked more amused by his irate look of indignation, due to her telling him that Natsu could pass off as a girl and the two to come together to her school, than anything else. It appeared to me that Elias was starting to get a kick out of getting a rise off Takeshi.

Who had taken to practically avoid her even unconsciously. Poor guy had a serious problem with the blond girl...

Now, in regards to what happened to Chiyo and I personally...

We had to be in someone's line of sight at all times, except if we were in the playroom (which had been added a hidden camera that Father was always watching) or when we were in our instruments practice (since Grandma was there with us and Kazue-san is not someone you want to mess with).

We also had to help around the restaurant and not be freeloaders during the rest of the year until Spring came came again and the new school year started. Which was okay, since all we had to do was to guide customers to their seats and recite the menu of the day, take their orders (we had a good memory in regards to recite back things) or just help around in the kitchen by fetching and bringing food or untensils when needed.

Personally I prefer to help around in the kitchen, but since Chiyo and I had been taking turns, it was now my time to help with the customers. Though Chiyo had went out with Mama to go shopping.

Father was watching bemusedly as I went around the shop asking customers if everything was alright or just taking more orders or seeing if they were finished and if they wanted the tab.

It was an easy work, and it worked wonders in regards to not waiting to disappoint anyone as it was the restaurant's reputation we were representing. Quite literally too as Mama had sewed the Takesushi logos onto our new aprons.

But let's not get too lost on what happened and focus on what's happening right now.

The afternoon is nearing it's end, just two more hours and Father's going to start serving the dinner menu, when the door of the restaurant opens.

Since I had been doing this for a while and was greeting the customers was already a practiced motion I didn't realize who I was greeting until I heard the oh-so familiar 'Un' that answered back.

I stilled before actually looking at who it was.

It was a family of three with another lady and her son beside them, all with black hair though their features varied a lot.

The family of three were noticeably more noble-like in features, while the other two had more common roots so to say. Their eyes were dark brown and their skin was darker than that of the other family of three.

The three had pale skin with only a slight pink around the cheeks and they had silver eyes, sharp and observant. Their hair was smooth and was a bit on the longer side, with bangs and they all dressed nicely.

Oh, and let's add that they boy that was with the family was Kyoya.

I blinked at him.

"Kyoya?" I ask confusedly.

I see his eyebrow cock, as if he was saying 'Only noticed me now?'.

I gave him a smile.

"Welcome! I think I never saw you here before." I say to him.

"Oh, Kyo, is this a friend?" The lady that was beside him asks with a gentle smile at me.

"No." Kyoya answers instantly with a frown," But he has potential..." He adds a bit unwillingly.

"Oh?" The man speaks at last, his cold silver eyes turn to me.

There was a shiver that went through me when I stared at his eyes but I let it pass through me as if it was nothing, curiously cocking my head to the side and staring straight back.

The man continues to stare for a moment longer before grinning and placing his hand on my head, patting it as if I was a pet.

Kyoya smirks at this, while the woman laughs.

The other two looked unreasonably scared for some reason, with the boy the woman was with standing straighter.

I walk them all to a big table and say the menu, before going to check on a customer that was calling me and coming straight back.

Kyoya had been giving me a few stares as I worked so I sighed and told him what had happened.

Let's just say that I was grumbling under my breath and nursing a bump on my head when Chiyo and Mama returned.

And with Chiyo back, who instantly noticed Kyoya was here, the mess just escalated.

I was standing slightly to the side of the table as I watched Chiyo continually pick a stare battle with Kyoya, or snarking him and receiving a tonfa to the head whenever she pushed the line but this went on for a while until I intervened.

Honestly, I didn't realize I hadn't done this before in front of Kyoya but, as the tonfa was about to hit Chiyo for the nth time, I raised my hand and hit Kyoya on the wrist causing him to let go of said tonfa, which I grabbed with my other hand and deposited it on the table. Then proceeded to drag Chiyo to the kitchen to help Mama and Father, before going back out again and receiving more customers.

Unfortunately that had grabbed the attention of Kyoya and his father who were now talking in low tones while taking a few looks at me.

Father was actually even more amused when Kyoya came up to me and tried to trip me (which I jumped over) or push me (which I side stepped) about three times before I frowned at him and got really close to his comfort zone and stuck two of my fingers in a space near his side (which i had personal experience with) causing him to release an unwanted snort as it tickled him.

I smirked at his offended expression.

The deep laughter of his father and the giggles his mother was making made my smirk bigger as I strolled across the shop and into the kitchen, deciding it was safer for me to stay away from Kyoya for a while.

Mama took my place, since Chiyo looked way too eager for it, and we discovered that Mama was Kyoya's mother friend. Or better, a friend of a close friend.

I had been watching Father cut a huge piece of salmon into straight thin strips when Kyoya's father came up to the open area and started talking with my father.

About what I didn't hear as Father sent both me and Chiyo to the playroom, actually inviting Kyoya too if he was finished, which he did and accepted.

Not quite the way I wanted to spend my night like, as Chiyo and Kyoya tried to fight one another or fight me instead, while I tried to just lie down in one of the bean bags and nap.

Chiyo and Kyoya were a bit loud, and I think it was only making Kyoya more aggressive, making it harder for me to fall asleep though I swear that, even if I was tired, my eyes did not deceive me as Chiyo and Kyoya's form shifted and shimmered for a moment.

Turning into the ones of a tall pink haired girl, scowl on her face with a touch of sarcastic amusement, and that of an even taller man with white blond hair and icy blue eyes, frowning and looking just a few seconds away from physically making the girl shut up.

A sense of deja-vu washes over me and their forms vanish again and turn back into Chiyo and Kyoya.

I blink and smile a bit.

I knew for a fact that Kyoya was not a Storm. His eyes did not change color, and there was no pull deep within me that begged me to approach him.

But that didn't mean that maybe Storms weren't the only ones that lived before. Maybe I had met 'Kyoya' when 'I' was Isaia. Since I was certain that Marzia was the only pink haired girl I remembered seeing.

_Wouldn't that be funny?_

_If we truly met those people again._   _Just for a moment at least._

If I could...

**I would thank them.**   _For everything they did for Isaia and the Storms._

* * *

The sky was dark. There were thunderous clouds and lightning flashing , the wind was howling in my ears and all I could hear was the sound of my heart, the screams echoing from times past, the agonizing sounds of battle around us and the single shot fired that made my world stop.

All I could see around me was the sky, the blood soaked earth and the still standing from of the black haired little girl with caramel brown eyes, with their red, red glow slowly fading from sight, and the way she clutched her chest.

Liquid flowed onto her fingers and stained her dress, the red color turning the light yellow into a mockery of a sunset orange.

She stood tall, yet so still, and she looked, stared, straight at me. Her mouth moving silently.

'Isaia ... Non voglio morire.' she mouthed. (Isaia... I don't want to die.)

Before I could say anything back, she seemed to lose all her strength and her body fell down, like a puppet with it's strings cut.

In between two heart beats I think I heard something crack deep within me.

Blood pounded in my ears and all sound simply vanished.

_It was all silent._

_Everything was still._

Before me I could see a mass of colorless flames, glowing like Heaven's light, floating a bit over the ground and there was a low hum of an ancient voice that echoed through me.

_Resounded._

"Tu chi sei?" I asked, numbly acknowledging that this might not even be a normal occurrence. (Who are you?)

_'I have too many names, for I have lived countless years. I my knowledge is that of this universe's wisdom, and I have more power than the galaxies combined.'_  A voice echoed inside me.

It's voice was like rushing water and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. Like seagulls shouting in the wind and the bubbling of air underneath the water.

_'I have been watching you, Temporale, the gifted human who I gave my power to even before birth.'_  The voice continued.

"Che cosa vuoi dire con questo?" I asked. (What do you mean by that?)

_'I have always been interested in you out of all the others. You fascinate me...'_  The voice said, ignoring my question, _'And I have come to relish in seeing you excel in this world.'_

"Ti ho chiesto! Che cosa vuoi dire con questo?!" I shouted at it, feeling unreasonable fear and anger wash over my senses. (I asked you! What do you mean by that?!)

_'No reason to be like this, my dear Temporale. I have come merely to ask this of you...'_  The voice said soothingly, _' What is it that you wish for, more than anything else in this world?'_  It asked.

"Che cosa che desidero?" I mumbled confused. (What I wish for?)

_'Yes, dear Temporale. What do you wish above all else?'_  It repeated.

_What do I wish for?_

What I want above all else?

I could wish for anything in this world?

That's...

My eyes gaze behind the mass of flames and at the still form of the fallen girl.

The pain that seared my heart and chest, that made my breathing painful and the way that my heart just seemed to be like it was being squeezed between a careless child's hands brought all my dreaming to a halt.

In one hand I could simply wish for this to all be a dream. Wish for a difference life than this one.

It would be easily to forget this, wouldn't it?

...

**_No._ **

**This are _my_  people. The ones I adore and care for.**

_**The ones I would die for.** _

"Vorrei poter proteggerli." I answer, my eyes blazing with cold-hot fire,"Vorrei forte abbastanza di proteggerle."I add. (I wish I could protect them./ I wish I was strong enough to protect them.)

I hear an echoing laughter.

_**'Good answer,**_ **Primo**   _ **Temporale...'**_

My world begans to move again and all sounds can be heard.

It's so loud.

My skin feels like it's on fire. My heart beats faster than a humming bird, my eyes blaze like falling stars.

" _ **Crollo**_." My voice speaks, it's tone cold and unforgiving. (Collapse.)

Instantly there is a massive surge of energy above us and thousands of flashing bright blue and green lightnings strike unforgiving down at the earth.

Nothing is spared as the energy remains uncontrolled and chaotic, continuously striking down and flattening the ground, breaking and destroy all life in it. The screams could barely be heard above the roaring thunder, five pairs of blazing eyes stood in awe and fear at the destruction their leader was causing.

But once they truly saw what was happening they moved as one towards the kneeling form of him.

Kneeling beside the still form of a girl that looked barely ten years old.

"Isaia! È necessario arrestare questo tutte le furie!" Pace shouted while trying to make his friend responsive. (Isaia! You must stop this rampage!)

Isaia's eyes were devoid of their usual gleam, instead they were hard and unforgiving. Flashes of darker shades of green, blue and purple swirled in them, viciously flashing like the lightning that was furiously destroying everything.

"Isaia, Chiara è già guarigione lei! Sta andando tutto bene, è necessario interrompere questo!" Pace tries again. (Isaia, Chiara is already healing her! She's going to be okay, you must stop this!)

"Grazia ... è ... andando a ... essere a posto?" Isaia asks in a quiet voice. (Grazia... is... going to... be okay?)

"Sì, è giusto! Lei sta andando tutto bene!" Pace reassures him. (Yes, that's right! She's going to be okay!)

"Aah... Lei è al sicuro. Grazie a Dio..." Isaia sighs, his head lolling down before he collapses, unconscious. (Aah... She's safe. Thank God...)

"ISAIA!?" Pace shouts as he grabs the younger teen.

As suddenly as the lightning came it vanished, leaving behind the smoking and crumbling ashed bodies of the assailants, the few lucky enough to avoid being hit were running for their lives, leaving behind everything they carried in order to be faster and lighter.

This was the beginning of the fear that Storms would latter cause simply by saying their names.

_The new heights their powers would reach would latter cause their biggest fall._

Yet, no one could say that they ever betrayed one another, nor do they ever abandoned one of their own.

* * *

In between dreams, Natsu was coming to realize that there was sometimes a pattern at how they happened.

Last time, he had dreamed of Isaia and Pace helping Lampo and latter he dreamt of the group saving Marzia. Prior to this one he saw Isaia rampage as Grazia was almost killed in battle and now...

Now he was seeing events before that happened.

Way _before that happened._

Grazia was just a little girl in this one, her hair being tied in a single braid as Marzia tried to tie it with a ratty ribbon she had stolen a month or so ago. Marzia's hair was still short and it was poorly cut, though Nicola had cut it more uninformed just so it wouldn't look like it was cut by a blindfolded idiot.

Nero and Marzia seemed to get along with one another, even if it was just in matters of beating people unconscious or trying to scare the hell out of me with her powers.

Marzia seemed to be one of the few in the group that were at ease with their powers.

Pace and I used ours day in and day out, especially since I had a magnet towards finding trouble.

Nero used his in a fight but it came in surges and weren't really fully under his control.

Nico refused to use his powers, due to his past, and Grazia seemed to have a very traumatizing aversion to even try and use them.

Not that I blamed her. Having our powers come out in self-defense in one of those situations was never good.

I remembered when Pace first used his powers, though it's been so long that I can't actually remember my first time. Marzia says she has been using them since she was a toddler as she would materialize her dreams and Nero first discovered his powers when he punched his father and broke his jaw.

If I remember correctly, Nero was about six when that happened...

Nico...

He first used his powers back home, caused him to scare his family so much he got kicked out, he never said specifically what he had done but since he used his powers out of shear reflex when we met (I kind of confused him with an attacker and was about to hit him with a club...), and made the club completely freeze into ice and shatter once it fell on the ground, I have a pretty good idea of what might've happened.

Nero and Nico usually work together, not sure if it's the fact that Nero can pull Nico's powers into life even if the latter is unwilling or just due to the fact that Nico found Nero shortly after both had been kicked out of their houses.

Pace and I work together because of friendship, trust and because our powers are similar.

Marzia... she's on defense. Creating shadows to cover for us or by creating distractions.

In a way, she works with everybody.

And she was now having a hard time as I blew their minds to oblivion with my intelligence.

"Isaia, sto per chiederti questo una volta sola." She began, her eye twitching while the groups reaction behind her varied from confused to shocked to finally the classical face-palm. (Isaia, I am going to ask you this only once.)

"Tu sei un idiota?" She finished. (Are you an idiot?)

I smiled weakly at her.

She rolled her eyes at me and proceeded to get Pace and Nero to take the green haired teen off my shoulders. Going to the back of the house we were staying in, she brought out a wooden box filled with stolen medicine and bandages.

Nero and I usually came back from whatever we had gone to with injuries so this kind of supplies needed to always be in stock, which I was thankful for right now as the teen looked more beat up and injured than the last time I had found him.

This was going to be the second time I saved his hide from going up to meet with Saint Peter, and the last time I had found him he was drowning in a freaking river with burn marks and knife wounds all over his body.

Pace had not been happy when I showed up with him, and at that time we didn't have Marzia with us, leading to his chagrined expression now.

"Isaia, questo ha bisogno di fermarsi." Pace sighs as he pulls off the blood covered shirt and starts cleaning his wounds. (Isaia, this needs to stop.)

"Perché? Non è che gli chiedo di presentarsi quasi morto ogni volta che sto passando da..." I grumble as I go to help him. (Why? It's not like I ask him to show up nearly dead whenever I am passing by...)

"Vero, ma aiutandolo ogni volta che sicuramente deve essere facendolo sentire invincibile." Pace explains. (True, but helping him each time surely must be making him feel invincible.)

"Bene, la prossima volta che questo accade Cercherò solo di riportarlo a dove è venuto." I say. (Fine, next time this happens I'll just try to take him back to wherever he came from.)

"E come si propone troviamo dove diavolo è venuto?" Pace asks with an eye-roll. (And how do you propose we find where the hell he came from?)

"Facile." I answer. (Easy.)

I turn to the unconscious teen and proceed to slap him awake. Takes about three slaps to do the trick, but oh-well...

"Huh? Dove sono?" He asks with unfocused eyes, not really registering the pain from his wounds. (Huh? Where am I?)

"È un segreto. Lampo dove eravate prima ti ho trovato in prossimità del bosco?" I ask him. (It's a secret. Lampo where were you before I found you near the forest?)

"Temporale? Mi hai trovato di nuovo?" Lampo focuses on me. (You found me again?)

"Sì, ora dove eravate prima ti ho trovato?" I ask again. (Yes, now where were you before I found you?)

"Sono stato con Giotto ... nei pressi del incrocio di treno." He answers with a slight slur of words. (I was with Giotto... near the train crossing.)

"La traversata del treno? Cosa facevi così lontano da esso?" I ask with a slight frown. (The train crossing? What were you doing so far away from it?)

"Stavo per ottenere ... G e Asari ... Giotto ... c'è un'imboscata." He answers with a pained expression, guess he's finally acknowledging his wounds. (I was going to get... G and Asari... Giotto... there's an ambush.)

"Allora dove sono G e Asari? Non è possibile spostare, ma mi prendo li se volete." I told him. (Then where are G and Asari? You can't move but I'll take them there if you want.)

And it was true. He couldn't move.

My back was drenched with his blood, Marzia's treatment of him was at most temporary, Nico or Pace would go to fetch a doctor or take him to a doctor after we got him stable but after saving him the second time (and he had stayed with us for a few days to recover) he had told me a bit about his life.

The fact that Giotto had given him a life worth living with happiness and what he called a family made me sympathize with the man a bit. If he was in danger I could give him a hand, beside's if all I needed to do was take the two men there then it was fine.

Lampo seemed to know this as he gave me a pained smile.

"Sono al Spar caffè. Prega di aiutare Giotto." He said. (They are at the Spar café. Please help Giotto.)

"Isaia..." Pace grumbles and looks at me.

I smile at him.

"Prenderò Nero con me. Torneremo, non preoccupatevi, il mio amico." I assure him. (I'll take Nero with me. We'll return, don't worry, my friend.)

He searches for something in my eyes before nodding.

I grab my jacket (I can't walk around with a blood-stained shirt visible) and see that Nero is readying his knife and gun, nodding at me when he was ready.

I grabbed my knife and, after giving in some thought, took the rod I had found a few days ago with me also.

We were about to leave when Lampo suddenly said to us:

"Se non credono dici G io una volta preso il suo arco e lo ha utilizzato per cercare di colpire su una ragazza, io non può sbagliare quando sono caduto giù l'albero." He laughs a bit. (If they don't believe you tell G I will once took his bow and used it to try and hit on a girl, I chipped it when I fell down the tree.)

I smile at him.

"Lo so che la storia, non ti preoccupare farò in modo di arrivare a Giotto." I assure him one last time before walking out the door. (I know that story, don't worry I'll make sure they get to Giotto.)

We ran fast towards the café, passerby staring disapprovingly at our state of being and disregarded us as simple rascals (Oh, how wrong they were... kind of...) and continued on with their lives.

G and Asari I had never met or seen before, though Lampo talked about them enough for me to get the mental picture. Besides, a pink haired guy and a japanese monk were easy enough to spot in a crowd.

And I was right.

The Spar café was not a very popular one, since it was in an isolated area (better to make sure they are not caught off guard) but it was still good. And since it was not crowded it was easy to see the two men Lampo had tried to warn.

They didn't look particularly powerful, I absentmindedly noted.

Nero was slightly behind me, at my left side as the group never took up Pace's place (I found it funny actually, at how smug Pace looked when the others told the reason as to why they never stood by my right side) but he was very alert looked around before letting me approach the café.

Asari seemed to notice me sooner than G, but since the man was shouting and raving about something I found it reasonable.

"Perché si esegue così, de gozaru?" He asked. (Why are you running like that, de gozaru?)

"Lampo ci ha inviato. Lui ferito e stava cercando di venire mettervi in guardia." I answered him. (Lampo sent us. He's hurt and he was trying to come warn you.)

Immediately the other guy focus entirely on us and the whole athmosphere around us changed.

Their eyes became more calculating and distrustful.

"Come fa a sapere Lampo? Tu chi sei?" The pink haired guy asks in a gruff tone. (How do you know Lampo? Who are you?)

"Mio nome non è importante. Giotto sta per essere un'imboscata!" I answer at once, trying to get them to understand the situationist. (My name is not important. Giotto is going to be ambushed!)

They both jerk, the japanese man standing up to move while the pink haired guy rounded up on us.

"Come fa a sapere che il nome? Per chi lavori?" He demands. (How do you know that name? Who do you work for?)

Before I could say anything to him, the other man intervened.

"G, non credo che stia mentendo. Lampo ha parlato per un po 'di un gruppo di ragazzi che lo ha salvato quando è stato attaccato." He said. (G, I don't think he's lying. Lampo has been speaking for a while about a group of kids that saved him when he was attacked.)

G didn't seem to believe the man's words.

"Quando è il moccioso mai dire che?" The man asked with suspicion. (When did the brat ever say that?)

"G, Lampo ha parlato su di esso senza sosta da settimane." Asari tells him. (G, Lampo has been speaking about it nonstop for weeks now.)

"Possiamo prega di darsi una mossa? Lampo ha detto che Giotto sta per essere attaccato e se si vuole essere il motivo per il ragazzo morto soddisfare da soli, ma ho detto Lampo che stavo per aiutarlo!" I told them, getting ready to run towards the train tracks. (Can we please get a move on? Lampo said that Giotto is just about to be attacked and if you want to be the reason the guy died suit yourself, but I told Lampo I was going to help him!)

"Bene! Se si tratta di un'imboscata, voi ragazzi meglio iniziare a dire le vostre preghiere." G grumbles, taking a few notes of cash to pay for the coffee before starting to run with us. (Fine! If this is an ambush, you kids better start saying your prayers.)

I hear Nero make a few mutters about how G really was like Lampo said he was before picking up my pace towards the train crossing.

It took us about ten minutes to run the whole way there, and when we got there the ambush had already started.

G and Asari were immediately attacked while me and Nero avoided or were ignored by any opponents.

Nero was saying that we should leave (since we had brought them here) but I wanted to make sure Giotto was alright. I grumbled under my breathe that either Pace or Marzia would kill me for this but I walked straight into the heart of the ambush, trying to find the blond man with the cape that Lampo adored and idolized.

Finding him was not hard, he was the only guy there with a flaming forehead and blazing orange eyes. Surrounded by men with guns, swords and all kind of weapons, an intense look on his eyes as he fought his opponents.

The way his flames danced as he brought them down to size, the way his body moved as he fought was magnetizing.

I could feel my power being pulled towards his flames, the way they felt was warm, inviting and addicting.

I pulled back before I could drown in that feeling. This was not what I came here for.

Shaking my head I decided to climb to a higher view point in order to not get hit by any stray attack and to have a better point of view of the whole battle area.

Nero took place behind me, taking care of anyone or anything that tried to attack my back, and I focused solemnly one the blond mafia boss.

Lampo had never really hid from us what he was, I believe he took comfort in being able to get his worries off his chest without worrying that he was being whinny and ungrateful to the man who took him as part of his group.

The way Pace and Nico would sometimes help him figure out what to do next or just tell him about their own shortcomings seemed to do both parties good.

_It also helped me see a different reality._

Lampo had said that Giotto started Vongola from nothing more than his own goodwill, and that got me thinking...

_Couldn't I do the same?_

Maybe create my own  _Famiglia_?

I shared my idea once with the others, causing them to laugh and say I was crazy if I thought we could be as great as that, but Grazia, Pace and Nicola seemed to indulge me in the idea.

I gave us all nicknames inside of the group, like I named myself, when I first met Lampo, after my power. How the power looked or how it worked.

I called Pace,  **Tempesta di fulmini**. Or just Fulmini, for short. (Lightning Storm)

Next was Nero and Nico, which I named  **Tormenta**  and  **Tempesta di ghiaccio** , or just Ghiaccio for short, respectively. (Blizzard and Ice Storm)

Marzia was easy, since her powers appeared like grains of sand, and I named her  **Tempesta di sabbia** , or just Sabbia. (Sandstorm)

Grazia was harder, since she wanted a cool name but I never really saw her powers except for that one time (and I really didn't want to make her freak out) but before I could say anything Pace interrupted and was the one that named her.

**Tempesta d'incendio** , or just Incedio. (Firestorm or Storm of Fire)

She stilled for a moment before grinning and saying she had the coolest name of all.

She took to pat Nero and Nico on the head and say she was defrosting them whenever they got mad at one another.

It was hilarious to see the way Nero would twitch every time she did that.

But coming back to the topic at hand.

Pace had then asked what we would call our 'Famiglia' after and, since we saw the connection between our nicknames, I decided to call ourselves 'Tempestas' or Storms.

Storms of Calamity or Heavenly Storms, it was such a contrasting topic when we thought if our powers were good and bad. Our families had rejected us because of them, we were attacked because of them or we were simply outcasted because of them.

Either way, we were going to make the most of it.

After what seemed like ten or so minutes, I saw Giotto place down his guard and take a shaky breath, he seemed to be a bit tired from the constant waves of opponents that rained down on him.

Asari and G were alright, or so Nero said with slight disappointment (this guy was always wishing for a fight) and I thought that it was about time for us to go when I suddenly see a figure emerging from a train carriage, quickly approaching.

Giotto didn't seem to notice and before he could actually see and act on it, the train would cut of visual of G and Asari, leading to Giotto to certainly get worked up with worry (Lampo had also talked about his mother hen temperament), and I knew that he was going to get hurt, maybe even mortally if we didn't do anything about it.

I was going to shout, but with the train incoming he might not even hear me, when I felt the metal rod I had picked up a while ago strapped to my back. I was going to shrug it off and place it down but then it clicked.

It was a metal rod.

_Metal conducts electricity._

Even if I didn't hit the figure himself, If I just hit the metal carriage them the figure would be shocked and unable to attack.

It was a sound plan, I had acted on worse plans than this, so I readied the rod and started to guide my power into it.

It was a lot harder than it sounded, my power had always manifested on my hands and not on anything outside of my body, the only people who manifested their powers with the help of a medium was Nero and he was horrible at explaining things.

Without stop focusing in keeping a tight grip on my power I noticed that Giotto seemed to have sensed me, looking wide-eyed up at me, but I didn't care as I finished loading it up and took aim.

The train was so close now that I could see the man that was lying down on the roof of the carriage, perfect position for me to strike.

With one enormous throw I saw the rod do a graceful arch before the bloody scream of the now impaled man made Giotto's attention focus behind him, the man's weapon (a carbine like gun) fell off the train and the other men that must've been hid on the train jumped off to attack.

Not that they did much damage as Asari and G helped, after Nero had thrown a rock at them to warn them off the train.

Seeing that our job here was done, I stood up and jumped off our vantage point, waving a lazy goodbye and starting to run back home.

_I hoped Marzia wasn't being to harsh on Lampo..._

* * *

It was that time of year again when Mama dressed me and Chiyo in similar yukata, called Elias and invited her to come with us, and proceeded to dress the rest of the family similarly to how we looked.

Father was using the same kimono like last time, but Mama had a new one.

White with red koi fish and sakura petals. Her red geta shoes and white socks only added to her beauty.

Takeshi had gotten a new dark blue yukata, with white lines and lighter blue patters on the sleeves, since his other yukata had grown too small for him.

Me and Chiyo were using the same yukata, only in reversed colors.

While mine was light green with blue birds and pink swirls, Chiyo's was pink with green birds and blue swirls, both of us had a purple sash.

Mama had made Chiyo's hair into two little buns while she only added a clip to make sure my bangs didn't get in my eyes. We weren't wearing geta, just simple sandals and we now waited outside for Elias to appear and for us to all go meet up near Taro's house, as he came with us today (and also his brothers and sister) before going to the festival.

Me and Chiyo had a small bag with money to spend on games, same as Takeshi.

Elias showed up in a simple light yellow yukata with pink ribbons tying her hair in braids and a darker shade of pink for a sash. She wore geta but walked rather stiffly with them.

She showed that she was used to walking with them but they were still not natural to her.

We walked for a few minutes, Takeshi and Elias bickering all the way, until we reached Taro's house.

He was wearing a red yukata with a orange sash and sandals, his siblings had similar yukatas with only Hotaru having a more detailed yukata and wearing geta.

Finally as we walked to the festival, we had agreed that Elias would be with us, leaving Takeshi to group up with Taro's brothers and Hotaru, and Mama and Father could just have a nice night to themselves.

With being able to play the games this year round, we were quite happy.

But nothing ever goes as planned does it?

Halfway through the festival, I bump into someone.

Deja-vu much?

No? Not enough?

_I had bumped into_ Kyoya _._

I saw him, stared for a second or two before sighing and mentally asking why I had to meet him here of all places.

Kyoya stared at me too, taking in account the numbers we were in (and frowning at the 'crowding' as he grumbled) before focusing on me and the grinning Chiyo.

"You are going to help me." He said curtly, grabbing me by the arm and started to drag me with him.

Chiyo took off after him, Taro following after us with a scared expression and Elias sighing and despairing about all the games we weren't going to play.

Honestly, two hours or so latter, thirty or so minutes before the fireworks started, Kyoya finally let us off from helping him.

We had been doing some sort of fund raising for something called the 'Namimori Elementary Disiciplinary Commitee'. And by fund raising, I mean that Kyoya took to beat scamming booth operatores and taking their money.

Other booths simply payed him to leave them alone, while others gave money to him just because he had asked nicely (there was only one case of this, though) and Chiyo, Taro, Elias and I had to either collect the money or carry the box around, leaving Kyoya's hands free.

When he let us go I asked if he was coming to see the fireworks, but he just shook his head.

He was walking us back to the place he had dragged us away from, and I was walking I saw this game booth that had a tank filled with water.

Instantly I froze in place, Chiyo coming to my side and glaring at the water. Taro just stood there kind of confused at what to do, Elias whispering to him and helping him calm down.

Kyoya was confused for a moment before he understood what was happening.

"It's a Goldfish Scooping game. The tank is shallow, not even a full hand water level." Kyoya said.

I looked at him, my breathing was a bit calmer but I was still not very sure if I wanted to continue on and get closer to it.

Not that I really had a choice as Kyoya grabbed me by the arm and bodily pushed me towards it. Chiyo grabbed onto his sash trying to stop him but Elias had grabbed her and picked her up, whispering something to her that made her stop her struggles.

I was beginning to tremble when Kyoya placed me right in front of the tank.

There was not many people around it, as most were going to get spots for the fireworks show, so the elderly man greeted us with a smile, and a concerned look at seeing how scared I was.

"He's afraid of water." Kyoya informed the man," But he's going to play." He says, placing a few coins in the man's hand.

The man seemed to look slightly concerned again, but nodded and handed Kyoya a few scoops, I noticed that there were more scopes that those payed for, and the man gave me a smile.

"You try to grab a fish using the scoop and place it onto the bowl. The scoop breaks if you stay too long in the water or if you apply too much force." Kyoya explained before handing me a scoop.

"I don't wanna do it." I say with a shaky voice.

"But you are going to do it." Kyoya said.

"I don't want to." I said with a bit more conviction.

Kyoya looked at me before sighing.

Hitting my knee and making me kneel closer to the tank, sucessfully causing me to completely freeze, Kyoya took my shaking hand and guided it to the water, submerging the scoop and getting closer to the fish.

My trembling hand was making the water ripple, scaring a few fish, and making Kyoya grumble about my herbivorous behavior before either trying again or replacing the broken scoop.

After the first three times, my shaky hands subsided and I could think clearly again, there was not calm inside me but I wasn't panicking. I still tried to get away from the tank but I was not fighting Kyoya's grip anymore.

We almost caught a fish once but it moved before Kyoya could bring the scoop up.

On our last scoop, Kyoya finally let go of my hand, a red mark indicating where he had grabbed me, telling me to try the last one alone.

And surprisingly I did.

I can't say, I'm not afraid of water but I no longer froze at the sight of it. A few seconds afterwards and I was placing a single goldfish on the bowl, wide-eyed gazing at it while the man reached for an empty bag, filled it with water and gave me the goldfish.

"You have a great big brother right there, young one." He said.

"I'm not his big brother...-" Kyoya started to say.

"He's my  _cousin_." I interrupted him.

I felt Kyoyas' stare as the man smiled once again and thanked Kyoya.

Unlike what he had said, about just walking us back to the place he had taken us from, Kyoya walked us all the way back to my family. Leaving after patting my head like his father had done before.

I was confused as to why it felt like, at that moment, I had created a special bond with him, beyond the range of prey and hunter or even the awkward relationship we had before.

_I'd actually remember these times with fondness._

The times before I could trust Kyoya to always watch my back or just by trying to get Kyoya to lighten up a little.

Before I actually took on that tole that forcefully tried to break the friendship we had. Not that they were sucessful... an armband is suprisingly a good reason as to tell the other person to go away and to never try to do anything like that again.

This was a time way before that.

_But it was a beginning..._

* * *

This dream was happening again.

The white stone bridge was just the same as before, just this time it was intact. There was no shadow figure that was breathing down my neck, and I felt at ease this time.

Walking towards the bridge I took in the environment around me.

The sky was light blue and cloudless, the breeze was warm and there were other people walking by the bridge, two men wearing casual clothes were further down the bridge and a single woman was in the middle of it.

The woman seemed faintly familiar but I dismissed it.

The water down below was clear, no red and definitely nothing amiss in this dream.

I wondered what was going on here and why I was having this dream before there was a sound like static on the back of my head, that was steadily getting louder, and a cold wind brushed against my back, making me turn back to where I had started this dream in.

The shadow was here now, his smile looked less cruel and more chagrined than anything else.

I must've looked curious to him because he answered.

"This is not my doing so don't blame me for what's going to happen." He said.

Before I could ask what he meant by that a hand grabs me restrains my hands behind my back.

I jolt, startled, and look over my shoulder to see the woman from before with empty black eyes and a huge slasher-like smile on her face, and her other hand was raised above me with a knife.

_A gleaming sharp knife._

There's a louder pounding of static inside my head and I shake my head.

Turning to look at the shadow like person I see he's slightly turned from me, and a ahead of me there are the two men I had seen before, holding a white heather flower and a iris flower.

Both flowers were glowing, and I felt a strong tug inside me that made me want to reach out for them.

And I tried.

I tried to get away from the woman holding my arms and tried to reached for the flowers, to get the flowers away from the two men who were trying to forcefully take them across the bridge.

In my head it really didn't click as to why carrying the flowers was being so hard, nor did I not think of trying a more reasonable way to try and get loose of the hand restraining me.

But before I could clearly think of something concrete and planned, the hand holding the knife came down and pushed the knife into my stomach.

Hot-white pain flashed through me and I lost all the air in me. The static grew so loud I could swear my ears were going to start bleeding. I saw the knife embedded in me, and I felt the knife in me, but I couldn't see any blood.

Instead it was sakura petals that fell out. I stared at them while clutching my stomach, the pain rolling of me in waves combined with the growing static made me whimper and cry out.

_And it was then that it all turned into a nightmare._

As I cried out there was a loud whistle like sound and a rumbled echoed across the bridge.

The sky darkened and suddenly there was a huge storm happening. The thunder claps were creating blinding white light to envelop the town, and I looked down my arms to see their hairs standing on end.

I knew what that meant.

Before I could say anything, the whistle like sound grew louder, like the static sound, and a huge blue and green lightning struck down at the bridge, making it crumble and for us to fall down to the water below.

I felt as my body hit those rocks, all pain suddenly leaving me and I knew I had watched as the water slowly became red, but I had woken up before I knew it and I was curled into myself, holding my head as waves of pain kept crashing down against it.

I whimpered as I peeled my eyes opened and saw darkness outside.

It was still night and it hurt too much to move for me to go to my parents bedroom or to knock and see if Chiyo was awake.

Guess I could try Takeshi...

Forcing myself to uncurl myself and to knock on the wood frame above me, I pushed my feel into the mattress above.

But there was no response.

I grumbled lowly before turning back to the wall and curling up again.

The shadow had said that it was not him that had caused that dream. That he had no doing in what happened. And though I didn't actually believe what he had said...

_If it had not been him who had caused it, then who had?_

* * *

"Remiel, how's the seal going?" A voice asked.

"Almost broken, Master." Remiel answered,"...Can I assume that it's starting?" Remiel asked quietly.

"Yes..." The voice sighed," It's only until the seal is broken. And after that... it's just the start of another cycle."

"It just doesn't seem fair to him... He's... different somehow." Remiel says.

"I know. I'd say that it's because Primo's influence on him. Memories of those times are more frequent." The voice said.

"Might there be a meaning to it?" Remiel asked.

"I don't know... Perhaps." The voice answered," It's still too early to tell."


	27. Part I - Chapter 26 - Part I Finale

I was suffering from fevers again. My head hurt and I was always feeling nauseous, meaning I was sick and had to remain in bed all day. Which sucked since I had nothing to do, other than sleep and having a staring match with Seth, who apparently was my designated nurse when Chiyo couldn't be watching over me.

Elias had stopped by after her classes were over, and Chiyo had went with her to Kazue-san's house to have her lesson. Taro was still having, somewhat, his play date rights revoked for the time being, though he had called to ask me how I was doing.

Which, frankly, was  _not_  okay.

The pain of the knife in my dream had still to fade, slowly it went from unbearable to a simple pressure in my gut. The doctor had scanned it for something but nothing showed, there was nothing there, and it was driving me up the walls. There  _had_  to be something wrong.

Something!

Seth hissed as I kicked him by accident, my leg spasming as my mind tried to process my anger.

That had been happening more frequently. Sometimes my body would be at a loss as to how exactly it should react, be it from actual pain or from emotions. Chiyo hadn't said anything on the subject, nor had Elias when she stopped by, even after I had broached it with her.

Maybe it was something only I was going through, but that was just  _odd_.

And I was starting to have a heavy dislike to things I couldn't plan for, be it nightmares or simply situations that were totally unnecessary, like going to the ER when I can't get out of bed due to pain and find that there's nothing wrong.

I hadn't had that dream again, but the cold feeling of something watching me was getting worse.

On a brighter note, my birthday was coming up. I was turning three years old.

Chiyo was already three and Taro turned three in April so I was the last one.

It sucked to be the youngest of the group, worsen by the fact that I had recently turned into the sick and fragile kid of the group. Elias was the oldest, if you didn't count in Kyoya (but I don't think he'd appreciate me involving him in 'herbivorous crowding'), then Taro and Chiyo and I, having the same age but on different months.

Elias and Takeshi had one year of difference between the two, since she was the same age as Ryohei, while Takeshi was the same age as Ryohei's sister.

...

Speaking of Ryohei, I haven't seen him in a while.

I think I kind of miss him. His exuberance and tendency to make Chiyo question her sanity (as I had done oh-so long ago when I first started meeting Chiyo) made me feel nostalgic.

And that was another thing I couldn't help but ponder on.

I was starting to feel nostalgic on a whole new slew of things. Be it Chiyo or Elias coming to talk to me on my bedside, or Father cutting fish with his mastering sword skills.

It was irritating but so...  _so mysterious_.

Why would I feel nostalgic for something so...  _normal_? It was nothing out of the ordinary, something that we all did or saw or witnessed day in and day out. Nothing irregular about it.

Sigh...

I must be going crazy, stuck in the bedroom with nothing but myself and the snake to talk to.

_I need to get out of here..._

Rolling over, I carefully slither out of the comfy bed and onto the wood floor. Seth hisses at me to get back into bed, but this time I give him an unimpressed stare (sorry, ain't gonna happen) and start putting on socks. Unsurprisingly there's no matching pair of socks, Chiyo always steals one of mine for whatever reason, and then I put on a fluffy pair of slippers.

Getting up I face my bedroom door, carefully opening it and walking out onto the hallway, I can hear customers voices and my father's laughter downstairs. Mama must be serving food or in the kitchen preparing something because I can't hear her.

Nor Chiyo.

...  _That_  gives me a chill down my spine.

It was always best if you knew where Chiyo was exactly or take the risk of finding her right behind you with the scariest expression on her face, scaring the soul out of you.

Honestly, I had seen Taro pale and almost faint from one of her sudden appearances.

Maybe I should get her a sign saying 'Not for the faint of heart'...

_Nah... She'd skin me alive just for that one._

Anyway, Seth continues to hiss at me to get back in bed (an honest advice I am not listening to, thank you very much) so I decide to walk downstairs, carefully avoiding all the creaking spots me and Chiyo had found when we were smaller, and stealthily turn around a corner and walk towards the dojo, I hadn't been in it since it was first unlocked to us. The need for it to be locked no longer there, nor the need to discover what was inside of it.

The two gleaming swords, one belonging to my Father and the other to my uncle, was a mesmerizing sight.

A darker blade with a swallow engraved in the hilt, and a lighter blade with a koi fish engraved instead.

I sat in front of the two blades, my fingers just stroking along the scabbard of the Shigure Kintoki, imagining my father wielding it, fighting shapeless attackers with beautiful and masterful swings and arches of his sword.

I imagine the whole fight, the adrenaline it must produce and the exhilaration the battle must cause, I imagine a smile on my father's face as he wins his fights.

My fingers then stroke across Natsume's sword. A  _nameless_  blade for all I know, since father never told me it's name, unlike the pride he obviously had for his Shigure.

My eyes foggy and my visions dims, my eyesight replaced with another serie of memories I cannot fully comprehend.

But I see one clearly enough it brings tears to my eyes.

_I see Isaia._

Standing tall amidst a battle field, a smile on his face as he gazes towards his family, his kin and Vongola, with a gleaming knife in his hand.

A knife with pure and radiant glowing fire lapping at the surface of it. Blue fire with a deep purple center and light electrifying green on the sparking tips of the flowing blue flames.

_It's_ **Lampo's**   _knife._

Why would I see Lampo's knife in the memories of the sword?

' **Because they are the same.** ' The white shrouded figure answers my unspoken question.

"How are they the same? The knife is not in the sword, I cannot feel any of Isaia's memories through this sword." I ask him.

' **Because the knife and this sword aren't the same object, they simply hold the same function.** ' The figure answers, coming to sit by me.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

' **Lampo's knife allowed Isaia to better control his powers, this sword did the same for your uncle. But this sword was specially made for your uncle and your abilities.** ' The figure replies.

"Where's Lampo's knife now?" I ask him, curious at how much knowledge he had.

' **Lying forgotten somewhere in one of Vongola's vaults. The relics that are not connected directly to Primo's or the rest of their generations end up being forgotten about.** ' He answers, his voice twinged with sadness,'  **A cruel fate to all those things that mattered so much to many.** '

"Oh... Then can't I ever see this knife? Can't I  _ever_  hold it again?" The words spill from my mouth before I can stop them.

Again? I've never held that knife in my hands, it has never been mine, I've never even seen it.

' **Perhaps one day, you may want to venture into the vaults yourself, see the mysteries and answers you might find inside.** '

" _Answers_?" I question aloud," Answers to  _what_?"

' **To everything.** ' The figure answers with a sad smile, his form shimmering before it vanished into thin air.

Blinking at the spot where the figure once had been sitting on, I turn my attention back onto the nameless sword in front of me.

"I wonder if he ever gave you a name... or if Isaia ever named his knife." I murmured,"  _The battles you must've won..._ "

A flash of Isaia's smile and his gleaming eyes surface in my sight, a feeling of accomplishment flourishes in my skin giving me goosebumps, and a raw sense of strength buds deep within me.

"One day...  _perhaps_..." I whisper, fading memories of battles slowly crumbling to distant musings.

* * *

I felt better now, wasn't sick anymore and the pressure in my gut was becoming nothing more than an inconvenient, something I could and would deal with when I found the patient to sit still.

Kazue-san and Grandma were happy to have me back in lessons (and boy, was Chiyo learning how to play the harp fast), Taro was no longer restricted to his house so we'd go play in the playground along with Takeshi when he was free from baseball.

He tried to teach me how to play again but I wasn't very strong to lift the wooden baseball bat all the way up and the swing knocked me off my feet nine out of ten tries.

And Takeshi's pitch did  _nothing_  to help either.

He was becoming a force to be reckoned with, something Chiyo and I were not entirely sure how to feel about. On one side it was great our brother was doing well in his favorite sport, on the other... it was not nice being on the other side of that ball's trajectory.

_I pity the fool that goes against Takeshi's throw._

"Natsu, c'mon! We'll leave you behind!" Chiyo's shouts at me from her spot by the door.

Her voice startles me out of my reverie, nearly dropping the sand bucket and small plastic shovel that I was holding, and makes me turn around to face her.

She was wearing a simple t-shirt with shorts, identical to my own, only with more purple and pink than blue and green and we both wore white sandals. She was holding a bucket of her own filled with small plastic toys, Taro stood beside her, chagrined expression on his face, as Elias continued to apply sunscreen on his face with the utmost glee.

Mama had already caught Chiyo and I, so we were protected already, but Taro had let it slip that his mother had skipped him due to Hotaru's cries when Kotaro started messing with her dolls, which led to Elias start chasing him around the house on Mama's orders so she could put sunscreen on him. And Taro honestly believed he could outrun Elias.

_Idiot..._

But now was not the time to spend a moment longer on thinking over this, we had a park to get to.

Mama was taking us to play outside, Father had taken Takeshi to baseball practice and there was going to be a match later on the afternoon, so to save time and let us get some energy out of our systems we were going to spend the day at the park.

Which was not overly crowded due to everyone preferring to go to the beach.

Which I just didn't feel comfortably going to.

_Maybe_  next year...  _Or_  the year after that.

Anyway, I walked out of the house with Chiyo and Taro beside me, Elias was walking ahead of us talking a mile a minute, and Mama stood behind us always with an eye out to see if there were any cars nearby.

The toys in Chiyo's bucket rattled as she happily skipped alongside me.

Taro and I were looking confusedly, and quite honestly scared, at her behavior.

Chiyo didn't just started skipping like a bubbly and girly five year old. Chiyo was the three year old that crossed her arms and glared at you into submission. (And having Seth hissing at you over her shoulder didn't help you not fearing her either).

"She's just happy that you two are going to have a recital performance soon. Have you forgotten?" Elias answered the question that was floating in our minds.

"A performance? Kazue-san said that we'd only join one after a year or so of her lessons." I told her, confused.

"And that year is passing by very quickly, I think Chiyo didn't tell you because you were sick but Kazue-san and Grandma have been making phone calls to see if they can squeeze you into a contest somewhere." Elias grinned at me.

" _What?!_ " My voice squeaks as I yell.

I freeze in place and turn bright red as Chiyo, Taro and Elias stare at me, smiling with bright eyes filled with amusement.

"Do. Not. Laugh." I managed to spit out through gritted teeth, starting to walk again towards the park.

"We're not laughing, Sushi-chan~! We just didn't know you could reach those high notes!" Chiyo chants skipping alongside me again.

"Yeah, your voice is kind of light but you never think you can reach that pitch." Taro says, avoiding to look at me directly.

"See? This is why I said that Natsu could go undercover at my school along with Chiyo, he can perfectly pass as a girl, and his name can be used by girls too." Elias adds in her two cents.

"And he does look girly. A bit." Taro says thoughtfully.

"You should've met him when he had long hair, it was past his shoulders and could be styled in buns, it was so cute." Chiyo grins.

"And remember that time we put him in a dress? Or when he wore that pink dungaree with that purple shirt, last summer?" Elias asked.

"Oh, yes! He looked just like a younger Mama!" Chiyo laughs.

"I hate you guys, if you're my friends why must you remind me of those things?" I mutinously glare at them.

Chiyo gives me a deadpan look.

"Natsu, we're your friends, it's our unspoken duty to remind you of these things."

"You just want to have a good time at my expense..." I mutter at them.

"Well, yes but who doesn't?  _That's_  what friends do. They laugh at you when you trip and fall and only then do they help you get up." Chiyo shrugs unrepentant.

I roll my eyes at them, walking faster to avoid them seeing the smile on my face.

* * *

The crowd in front of me was roaring with applause.

There was a full house and everyone was focusing on me, my left hand still behind my back as I straightened from my bow. The dazzling dark wood glinted under the bright lights of the Opera house, the rich red velvet of the seats and carpet contrasting with the gold of the finishings and the silver of the ornaments and chandelier.

My eyes glistened with tears at the corners at the sight in front of me, the happiness in my chest swelling and making this sense of accomplishment wash over me, before my eyes sought after the only people who really mattered.

Standing the furthest in the back, in the top arcade, in the seats specially reserved for them, sat my  _family_.

**_Kin in all but blood._ **

And Giotto was there too, with G and Ugetsu, smiling and applauding loudly at me, G was too even if he tried to hide it with a faulty sneer. Ugetsu was more reserved, he was never a person to make lots of noise anyway, while Pace and Gracia were easily the loudest in the theater. Nicola and Raniero were applauding too, even if Nero was being coherced by Nico, while Marzia and Chiara applauded like two ladies. Graceful and serene.

Were it not for the gigantic grins on their faces.

Their blazing eyes, the eyes that looked at me with kindness and acceptance, seemed to make the whole room come to life.

The lighting and the feeling of natural power in the air just shifted, allowing me to see perfectly well, allowing me to see their centers.

Giving another bow I smile at the crowd in front of me.

" _Grazie..._ " I whisper as the crowd erupts in more applause. (Thank you...)

A tear escapes through the corner of my eye.

* * *

Returning home from the game, after leaving both Elias and Taro in their respective homes, Chiyo and I smiled at seeing our brother so happy, recounting the game and his winning home-run.

Mama and Father laughed and smiled at his tale, their eyes showing the pride they had in him, in us, as we all walked together back home.

Takeshi talking just as fast as Elias, with overly descriptive gestures and terrible explanations as to what exactly he did.

And that made us smile wider.

His eyes glowed with satisfaction and the sight of his obvious happiness made me feel happy.

"One day you'll be the best baseball player there is, nii-chan. Even better than grandfather!" I tell him, smiling widely up at him.

_The grin he gives me could blind the sun._

"Haha! That's right! I'll be the best player there is!" He tells us, smiling and laughing. completely carefree.

I stand a bit taller, something warm and light settling in my stomach, feeling just as happy as Isaia did, once a long time ago.

* * *

I was turning three today!

The restaurant was closed for the day, both my parents getting the backyard ready for the party, and the invitations had been sent a while ago. Mostly due to the fact that both my grandparents could come to my party, but also because Chiyo and I had a blast at making the invitations.

Unlike Takeshi, who chose his theme for the party, Chiyo basically coerced me into living up to my name and have a sushi theme party.

It was not like I didn't find it funny, especially when you realize that my father made his life using the sword skills he learned from a swords master and that he fought using the sword down in the dojo for more than just for show.

If having a cutesy party with that theme meant that I could have my own private joke then so be it.

I honestly didn't mind continuing father's bussiness, it meant I got to learn the same graceful motions as him and, at the same time, I could kick arse.

Nothing better.

Except, perhaps, my cello.

My cello is just plain cool.

Anyway, I was in the playroom with Taro and Chiyo, getting ready to be let loose outside and have a fun party with my family and friends. I wondered if Kyoya was going to show up, Chiyo and I had had way too much fun making his invitation, so much fun that it could be considered a crime.

I mean, Mama came to check up on us to make sure that we were alright because we had been laughing so hard.

And Taro and Elias did nothing to stop us, they too got a blast at imagining Kyoya's face when he opened his invitation.

I drew bunnies everywhere (and was quite interesting to see how many bunnies I could actually fit in the paper) while Chiyo entertained herself at drawing what looked to be cats.

Or better yet, to be more specific, we drew stick figures in the shape of animals. A circle with two lines for bunny, a circle with two triangles for cat.

And then we just splashed whatever color we had at hand on the paper.

"Alright, you can come outside now!" Mama called out as she opened the door of the playroom, the one leading outside.

Scrambling to get up I race Chiyo outside, jumping the steps and just disregarding the sandals that waited for us at the stone steps.

"Natsu, put on some shoes!" Mama chided.

"No!" I pout at her, scrambling away from Chiyo as she tries to tackle me.

I her Mama sigh and look to see her eyes roll and her mouth making the motions for 'boys' before she turned to go towards father.

"Natsu! Let's play tag!" Chiyo yells, her hands dragging a very annoyed Kyoya with a grinning Elias and a very pale Taro behind her. Takeshi was there too, with two of his friends and baseball teammates but they didn't show much inclination to play with us, mostly due to the fact that Kyoya was there.

And wasn't that a surprise?

Every kid that was not a Storm stared at Kyoya like he was going to rip them apart. And seeing the murderous expression on Kyoya's face I could see why.

"Yeah! Kyoya's it first!" I grin at Taro.

His eyes widen just as Kyoya seems to be pondering this proposal.

By the gleam in his eyes, he accepts this olive branch.

" **No weapons!** " I suddenly yell out.

He frowns minutely.

"It's not fair if we can't run from you, Kyoya!" I laugh.

"Alright, ready?" Chiyo asks.

Everyone stills.

"Set. Go!" She yells out running as fast as she could to get away from Kyoya.

Everyone evacuated the perimeter around Kyoya as he all but launches himself at Chiyo. The expression on her face as she sees Kyoya right behind her makes me wish I had a camera.

Maybe I can get one in the future... That would be a nice investment.

The game is over fairly soon, and we do three more replays before we're all to exausted to even get up from the ground, except Kyoya and Chiyo who proceed to try and beat the other into unconsciousness.

"Where's the birthday boy?" A familiar but still foreign voice suddenly asks.

"Grandpa!" Takeshi's happy shouts answers my question of who ask for me.

"Here's my baseball star! Your mom was just telling me all about that big game you won two days ago!" Grandfather smiles at Takeshi.

"Yeah, it was so awesome! I had the bat and it was like 'zoom'! And then 'bam' as the ball came right towards me! And, and then I hit it like 'twack' and the ball when 'boom' way over the field!" Takeshi recounted his home-run.

"Wow, that's awesome! Just like your grandfather, haha!" Grandfather laughs," Now, where's Natsu? I haven't seen him yet."

"I'm here!" I say loudly as I skip towards him.

My hair was a mess, completely tussled with a bit of dirt on my face and grass stains on my clothes.

I see grandfather falter at the sight of me.

His eyes widening and starting to brim with tears before he shakes his head and smiles at me. Grandmother and Grandma were talking in the background, both keeping an eye on grandfather.

"Here he is! How's my little man doing? Your Mama tells me you've been sick?" Grandfather asks, his voice a tad sad and worried.

"I'm all better now! Did'ya know? I'm turning three today!" I laugh, showing him three of my dirty fingers.

"Sure know! And I've got a big present for you right here." He says, giving me a parcel wrapped in light blue wrapping paper.

"Wow! Thank you, Grandpa!" I say, using Chiyo's instructions on how to act when receiving a present you're not sure how to react to.

"Well, open it!" Grandfather laughs.

I tore the paper apart, removing the string that held it all together, and hold up the stuffed fish that was inside.

It was handmade, somehow I recognized the stitching Mama used whenever Chiyo, Takeshi or I tore our clothes rough housing, white with it's top blue and orange around the head and the sides.

" _Asagi Koi_." The words form in my mouth and make it to the outside before I could stop them.

Grandfather pales and stares at me like he did when he first saw me.

"Natsume..." I hear his whisper.

Deciding that I was not going through this again, I turn around and run towards Chiyo waving the stuffed toy.

"Look at what I got!" I shout at her.

"A fish. Guess Grandpa knew exactly how to offer you a gift that conveyed the party theme." Chiyo said mockingly, and I would've believed her were in not for the telltale sign that said she was just impersonating what others thought a three year old would say.

She too had seen Grandfather's look.

"Why offer a fish to a carnivore?" Kyoya asks.

"Because he is Sushi-chan~!" Chiyo grins at Kyoya.

The corner of his mouth twitches.

"Hn." Kyoya refuses to prove he's amused.

* * *

After the party was over, and everyone had been sent home, I was actually exhausted. No more energy in me, completely spent and I just wanted to sleep. Which came easily enough after being tucked in and listening to Takeshi mumble in his sleep.

And as I closed my sleepy eyes, I opened them elsewhere.

The hallways and corridors were filled with people dressed as maids and servants. The wide windows giving view to beautiful and rich gardens told me that I was in Giotto's house, back at Vongola, the Vongola in my dreams.

There was laughter going on downstairs, I could hear crowds of people talking as I stealthily walked the corridors on silent feet. My reflection is of an younger Isaia, like the one that talked to Giotto in the music room, but this one is wearing more simplistic clothes. A simple shirt, untucked, with dark trousers and dark shoes, his hair is longer than the one in the music room and he looks more tired.

_Sicklier_.

That makes me pause to truly look at my reflection.

You wouldn't notice unless you look really hard at this Isaia and at the Isaia I was used to see. The Isaia that would run across the rooftops of old houses and laugh at the top of his lungs at the streets below.

The Isaia that would drag Pace into situations that could turn bad at a moments notice, but who always showed this lighter side to the cruel reality, the Isaia that would invent stories to tell Grazia and imagine tales and pasts for people who'd otherwise seem non-important.

This Isaia was frailer, more skittish and confused.

**_Lost._ **

" _Hey! Cosa stai facendo qui?!_ " A voice suddenly shouts, making me jump and turn around with wide eyes. (Hey! What are you doing here?!)

A man with brown hair sneers at me, a younger woman locking arms with the man (and she looked very similar to him when she wore the same expression) was wrinkling her nose at me.

I felt panic rise in my chest but I hid it behind a carefully made mask of surprise but indifference.

" _Ti avevo chiesto, che cosa ci fai tu qui?! Ragazzi servo non dovrebbero essere qui! Ritornare alle cucine._ " He shouts again. (I asked you, what are you doing here?! Servant boys shouldn't be here! Go back to the kitchens.)

Through the corner of my eye I see a servant girl place the tray she was carrying down and hurrying down the stairs.

I still stood there by the window, looking at the man without saying a word, confused as to why he was referring to me as a servant boy and telling me to leave. I knew that Isaia wasn't a servant boy (by the memories I had of him he went from being a street rat into becoming the adopted son of the Vongola boss).

" _To parlando con te! Non ha mai detto nessuno che quando I scommettitori parlare con te li devi rispondere?!_ " The man yells at me. (I am talking to you! Hasn't anyone ever told you that when your betters talk to you you must answer them?!)

Before I could get a word out the man takes long strides towards me, leaving the younger woman behind, and raises his hand to strike me.

But he never has a chance to, just as he goes to slap me, a gloved hand comes to grab his wrist.

" _Sr. Volanti, che cosa sta succedendo qui?_ " Giotto's clear voice asks. (Mr. Volanti, what is going on here?)

I look up to see Giotto staring hard into the brown haired man, his hand still holding onto the man's wrist.

" _Le mie scuse, Don Vongola. Stavo semplicemente disciplinare il suo servo ragazzo, egli è stato scortese con mia figlia._ " The man lies. (My apologies, Don Vongola. I was merely disciplining this servant boy, he was being rude to my daughter.)

" _Ah. È così?_ " Giotto asks, letting go of the man's wrist. (Ah. Is that so?)

" _Sì, Don Vongola. Non volevamo disturbare il vostro partito._ " The man apologizes, glaring at me. (Yes, Don Vongola. We didn't mean to disrupt your party.)

" _Ah, non hai interrompe un partito, non abbiamo potuto anche ascoltare fino qui. Uno dei miei cameriere andati a prendere me, mi ha detto che qualcuno stava urlando a Isaia qui. Lei era preoccupata, si vede._ " Giotto smiles at the man. (Ah, you didn't disrupt the party, we couldn't even hear you up here. One of my maids went to fetch me, she told me that someone was going yelling at Isaia here. She was worried, you see.)

The man's eyes trail to the maid that was slightly behind the crowd that was quickly forming around us, a sneer making it's way visible again, though he was more cowed than before in front of Giotto.

" _Fare tutte le cameriere si preoccupano così tanto su un singolo servo ragazzo?_ " The man asks with a slightly mocking voice. (Do all of your maids worry so much over a single servant boy?)

" _No, in realtà, da allora non ci sono delle ragazzi serva in questa famiglia._ " Giotto smiles at the man, sharp edges appear around his eyes, a warning to the man. (No, actually, since there are no servant boys in this household.)

" _Poi chi è questo ragazzo?_ " The man asks, his eyes clear with confusion and distaste. (Then who is this boy?)

" _Ahh ... Sono sicuro che hai di più per preoccuparsi di un bambino semplice, corretto, signor Volanti?_ " Giotto avoids the question, turning his back on the man and facing me. (Ahh... I'm sure you've more to worry about than a simple child, correct, Mr. Volanti?)

" _Essete supposti di stare a letto, siete ancora malato._ " He tells me with a calm voice. (You are supposed to be in bed, you are still sick.)

" _Dove sono gli altri? Dove sono loro? Quando mi sono svegliato non c'erano più._ " I ask him, my voice a tad weak but my confusion and fear for them is greater. (Where are the others? Where are they? When I woke up they were gone.)

" _Sono con nell'ala est, se si dovesse andare a trovarli, si sta andando nella direzione sbagliata._ " Giotto smiles,"  _Manderò una cameriera a prendere di nuovo al vostro ora che sei sveglio, ma ti invitiamo a tornare a letto, Isaia?_ " (They are with in the east wing, if you were going to find them, you're going in the wrong way. / I'll send a maid to take them back to your room now that you're awake, but can you please go back to bed, Isaia?)

I nod.

The maid that was behind the crowd steps up towards me and pulls me towards the direction I previously came from, curious eyes and suspicious eyes follow me as I turn around the corner and disappear from view.

" _E 'stato spaventoso, non è vero, padroncino?_ " The maid asked with a smile while she continued to lead me back to the room I was staying in. (That was scary, wasn't it, Little Master?)

" _Ho visto di peggio._ " I answer tiredly. (I've seen worse.)

She looks at me sadly.

" _Sono sicura che hai, padroncino._ " She says. (I'm sure you have, Little Master.)

* * *

The day started like any other, there was no obvious change in the air that there was something wrong with today. Nothing to tell us that today would be the day that would mark the beginning of everything here on out.

**_This was just a day like any other._ **

One that I have lived and relived countless times throughout my life, and in each and every one of those times, it always starts with the same.

The warm happy sun glides through the window and into the still bedroom, the blue-ish curtain I have over my bed strapped to the bars of the bunk bed don't allow it to hit my sleeping face, yet I still wake up. Look up to see the drawings and stuffed toys littering my bed, the small scratched, the telltale signs of usage, out parts of the wood caused by either me or Chiyo.

The light snoring of Takeshi from the bed above me, the smell of cooking in the air and Mama's laughter.

Her pure and light laughter that brings joy and light to this house.

**_The heart of this family._ **

I push back the covers and roll out of bed, my bare feet hitting the floor with a soft thud, Takeshi doesn't wake up, something I'm not surprised by, and I exit the bedroom. Continuing down the hallway and into the room next to mine, the softer and more girly colors of Chiyo's room greet me.

It changes a bit every time I remember it, sometimes it's messy others it's perfectly clean, but she's always in the same place. Sound asleep curled up to Seth and in one of her more fluffy dark purple blankets.

I can see the deep blue pajama top she's wearing and her blond hair is ruffled from sleep, her bangs sticking at odd ends and she's smiling in her sleep, a line of drool on the side of her cheek.

Seth's red eyes open up to stare at me, somehow they manage to look tired themselves, his scale glinting in the morning sunlight.

I nudge Chiyo awake, and as reward I get a pillow to the face and a glare, before leaving the room to go downstairs.

I greet both my parents before climbing onto a seat and wait for Chiyo to sit down as Father goes upstairs to wake up Takeshi. There's no school today so the morning is pretty lax. There's no hurrying and no chaos, just a peaceful morning with my family.

As we eat and make small talk, Chiyo and I somehow managing to create a contest to see who could eat their scrambled eggs the fastest, I try to remember what exactly I said to Mama and Father and Takeshi.

The morning was so normal I couldn't even recall exactly what I said.  _How sad is that?_

_**One of my most memorable days, and what truly matters I forget.** _

It's like a silent movie is rolling, I remember every scene but there's no sound, other than the ones that I remember as faint echoes throughout this house.

**_Ripples in time and in memories._ **

**Ripples slowly crumbling the fragile balance I exist in.**

After breakfast, Chiyo and I help clean up. There's no rush so we take our time, making jokes and having fun while helping Mama out.

Takeshi has baseball today, another game this afternoon, and Father is getting him ready so he can go to practice. The restaurant will only be open during the day, some customers might come to make orders to deliver before the game starts but otherwise there's no work today.

After the table and plates are clean Mama takes us upstairs to get ready ourselves, there are two outfits for the day ready. One for us to play in and another for us to wear so we can go watch Takeshi play without having to worry about dirtying our clothes playing. It's funny how Mama loves to dress both Chiyo and I alike to a big extent, same shirts or same outfits just in different color or gender, when we don't look alike at all.

_In some way, I think she did it to make Chiyo feel more at home_ ,  _more part of this family, by saying that she was my twin._

**Two sides of the same coin.**

And perhaps we are, a lighter side and a darker side, or a front that people see while only those close to us truly see who we are.

The play clothes we wear that morning are simple, a t-shirt and a pair of shorts with sandals, to fight off the hot weather. The summer air is filled with the sounds of crickets and the smells of fresh grass and nectar.

It's tangy and heavy, only fought off by playing in the shade or in the water, which is something I just don't do.

How funny it is that my name, Natsu, means Summer and yet that it the season I suffer the most.

_The season I utterly despise..._

Chiyo and I play in the sun until we are too tired due to the heat to play anymore and go back inside and into the playroom. Playing games into Mama as she comes in to be with us like she usually does after Father closes the restaurant sooner.

Making us sing ridiculous japanese rhymes that I never really grew fond of, but still remember to this day, before humming the tune of her favorite song as we built something together with blocks or finish a puzzle.

_**Her hums still echo inside my mind.** _

_**Her favorite song, my lullaby.** _

The day is not yet over but the afternoon is coming up fast, so Mama decides for us to have an early lunch and get dressed for the game but also take a walk around town before it is time for the game to start.

As we eat, I faintly recall Mama making jokes about father's socks. How they would all have holes in them were it not for her sewing them back together.

Father tells us amazing stories as we eat, goofy faces included as he tries to break Chiyo's pokerface on a dare.

Chiyo loses it.

After we change into lighter but also comfy-er clothes and into sneakers (which are more comfortable) we leave the house, Chiyo and I calling out for Mama to hurry up or we'd leave her behind.

Mama's laughter as she follows her and father's face as he 'complains' that his beautiful wife is being stolen by two delinquents in the making makes us laugh. I'd not completely deny his claim either. Even at that age we already had a thirst to do reckless things.

We walked around town for the whole afternoon. Visiting shops and greeting familiar faces, we saw Kyoya walking by with his mother and Chiyo had to pick a fight with him as he ignored her in favor of trying to trip me again (which he still was not able to do) and Mama decided it was time to head towards the park where the game was going to happen.

Father had sent a message to Mama's phone that he was already there, saving the three of us seats beside him.

**I wonder... Was there a sign?**

_Was there a buzzing in my ear that I didn't hear or take notice of?_

**Was this my fault?**

_My own undoing?_

**A mistake on my part?**

_Did I fail to keep my word?_

...

_**Did she know?** _

As we started to reach the bridge that separated two parts of Namimori, did she start to feel something the two of us could not sense? Did she saw something that we missed in our careless and free living?

**It was just a completely normal day.**

There was nothing amiss.

_No sign._

_No mistake._

_No warning._

_No chance to make it right._

**_Yet years to regret it ever happened._ **

**From one moment to the next everything changed.**

It was like we suddenly started walking in slow motion, watching everything unfold around us yet not fast enough to stop any of it.

I remember me running up ahead, I never liked bridges anyway, and Chiyo was chasing me. She had this plastic thing attached to the belt of her dungaree's shorts, a rattle of some kind that was very annoying.

The sound of it echoes, hitting the walls of my mind each time I remember this day, this moment forever engraved in my memory, each time more vicious than the previous one.

I remember seeing a woman walking past my mother, a woman with dark hair wearing a completely normal outfit. Normal shoes and a normal hairstyle.

_Yet she strangely wore a_ jacket _._

'How weird... To wear a jacket in the summer.' I must've thought.

But just as I go to tell something to Chiyo I feel myself hitting something hard. One of the men that had been crossing the bridge ahead of us is right in front of me, I must've ran into him while I was running across the bridge.

I look up to the man and see his unemotional eyes, the grin on his face and the air of just plain wrongness around him, as I'm suddenly reminded of the bottomless black pits of eyes the woman in my dream had.

_**The dream on the bridge.** _

_The one that looked exactly like this day..._

I suddenly turn around to shout something, I don't remember what but it's too late.

The men grabs me, another grabs Chiyo and the woman tackles Mama, a sharp gleaming knife in her hand.

I can't shout, my mouth is being covered by the large man's hand but I struggle. I try to break free, I see Chiyo trying to do the same, Seth isn't here, Seth almost never appears outside of the house, Seth can't help us.

"Let them go! Let my babies go!" I hear Mama scream at the men holding us.

"Let them go? What do you think we are here for?" The woman laughs a shriek-y laughter," And to think there was two powerful flame users so close to our safe house. two  ** _Storms_**!" The woman laughs again.

"What are you talking about?! Let my children go!" Mama screams.

At the woman's words and Mama's reaction I try to break free with more energy, these people are mafia. These people are going to hurt Mama, hurt Chiyo!

"Don't you know anything? Those 'children' are monsters!" The woman laughs again, mockingly," But monsters that the  **Estraneo**  will love to have."

Those words make Mama still in the woman's grip. Her eyes turning wide,  _so wide_ , with fear.

**Pure unaltered fear.**

_Why? Why?_ **Why?**

_Why was she so scared?_

_Did she know what that name meant?_

_Did she know them?_

_**Why?** _

_Why would she know them?_

"Let them go... Let them go! No! Don't take them there! _ **LET THEM GO!**_ " Mama screams so loud.

But then her screams  _stop_.

A gasp is all I can hear. The bright red on her now dripping shirt is all I can see, the gleaming knife in her gut is all that matters.

**_Everything else goes, everything disappears._ **

And a whisper in the back of my mind reminds me that my namesake means many things.

It means Summer,  _truth_.

It is a namesake for Natsume,  _truth_.

It is the final part of the restaurant's name,  _truth_.

But if read right,  _my name means the only thing I **fear**  and  **regret**  the most_.

**Summer's Death.**

* * *

It's just me standing frozen, staring as Mama crumbles to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut, before everything shifts.

My vision dims and suddenly I'm in a flooded broken room. The light is going on and off, sparks coming out of it as it tries to keep working, the walls are losing it's wallpaper, which is teared or socked through in some places, the floor isn't visible through the muddy dark deep waters below the desk I'm sitting on.

The school desk with nasty words carved onto it with a sharpie or written with a bold black permanent marker. No name tag on the broken seat beside it.

There's nothing else in the room, other than the wide, wide window to the submersed upside down world outside.

**H** ap **P** y b **I** rt **H** d **AY**  t **O**   **Y** o **U**

A broken melody starts playing, sharp one moment and mellow the other, a quiet sound before it suddenly turns into loud like a banshee shriek.

The water outside of the window ripples.

_As if something had fallen in..._

h **APP** y  **B** i **R** th **D** ay t **O**  yo **U**

A shadow passes over the window, an horizontal figure that doesn't really have any distinctive traits.

Only a yellow jacket, open allowing me to see the green sweater underneath, grey pants, jeans my mind recalls, and black boots.

A red scarf wrapped around the neck, though I'm seeing the figure with it's back turned from me, slowly shifting as it falls deeper into the dark waters outside.

The brownish blond hair moves with the water, trapped under the red, red bonnet the figure wears.

**HA** p **P** y b **IR** th **DA** y  **D** e **AR**   **AS** a...

The figure fully turns to me, allowing me to see it's face. The open blue eyes, glassy in death, unseeing yet watching your every movement, the open mouth in a silent plea for help.

_A single tear still in the corner of her eyes._

h **A** pp **Y**   **B** ir **TH** d **A** y t **O**  y **O** u.

Memories of all that had happened hit me like a bullet train, shredding to pieces the seal that had been placed on me, a scream way in the back of my mind could be heard, and raw power came to blossom right under my skin.

I felt my eye blaze as the memories replay over and over again.

_An entire life lost, short sixteen years of a person who never truly got to live it's life._

Is that why this is my second chance?

When asked about the price of a second chance, the voice simply said.

**'Live'.**

_Ripples appear on the surface of the muddy waters below me._

I open my blazing eyes, tears spilling from them and power dripping into the shockingly icy blue and green eyes, the colors mixing and awakening deep inside.

* * *

Not a single second had passed outside of the flooded room, Mama's body still lay on the floor, the laughing woman still shrieked and the men still help us in a tight grip.

_But it no longer mattered._

**My eyes blazed.**

Dark, dark clouds formed above us. Electricity sparks formed around my motionless fingers, the hands holding me let go with a shout as they are zapped by several large volts.

The wind picks up, the heavy summer air replaced with cold and hostile winter.

_Let them go! Let my babies go!_

Thunder claps start to make noise and the woman shouts something, but to me she has no voice.

_To me there's no sound._

_No image._

**_No nothing._ **

Just the power that I have in me and this ache I feel inside.

A hole that's crumbling into nothingness, swallowing everything inside of me, building a void deep inside.

I raise my eyes from my mother's fallen form and into the eyes of the woman who had red, red hands and a wicked smile on her face.

" _ **Crollo.**_ " I whisper. (Collapse.)

The world explodes in a shower of lightning, flashes of purple, blue and green break the stone and turn it into rumble. The ground below my feet gives way and I last remember looking up at the darkened sky and thinking:

' ** _This is all just a dream... I want to wake up... Mama... I want to wake up..._** '

* * *

Part I Finale END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of Part I of CRT. I take this time to thank all of my reviewers and readers, a special thanks to my BETA Koneko, and for the time you have spent reading this story.
> 
> I thank you for all of your support and love you have given this story.  
> Truly, thank you.
> 
> I hope to see you all again when Part II of CRT begins, if not... then I bid you farewell and hope you liked the story until now.  
> So, to end this note, I say to you:
> 
> Goodbye, for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you guys soon.
> 
> \- LadyCroft


	28. Part II - Chapter 1

I was numb.

That was the first thing my brain registered when I opened my eyes. Then I noticed the darkness, the lack of wind on my face, the cold and harsh surface I was lying on. The sweet numbness that was preventing me from connecting reality to what I was experiencing slowly began to fade.

The pins and needles like feeling faded and left only pain and soreness, my head hurt a lot but, by far, my arms were worse. I couldn't move them without crying out, or trying to at least.

My throat was dry, my cries went unheard and I was so tired that they soon became weak whimpers. My ears couldn't hear a thing other than a static-y like white noise. Try as I might, no matter where I moved my head to try and see my surroundings it would all be the same.

**Darkness.**

_It was all so dark... and cold._

_So cold... Why is it so cold?_

Somehow I got my answer when I dislodged something while squirming in place, a dull thud sounded near my right ear and I turned to look at it, to see what it was, but instead something dripped onto my face.

Cold and liquid.  _Water?_

I fell down my cheek and I licked the corner of my mouth to see if I could taste it.

It was not water, I could answer that immediately, because water was not thick and it didn't have taste. Or, at least, I had never had a cup of water that tasted slightly metallic.

_Cooper-y._

I couldn't identify it so I let the matter drop. I couldn't see what it was so I just let it be. I started to focus on the dull 'plick-plack' sound that whatever was dripping made as it fell against the rock surface.

My head was still pounding and I felt so tired. But I didn't want to sleep.

Something in me was terrified of falling asleep again.  _Would I wake up again?_

Yesterday I would've thought that me waking up was a given, either by having Takeshi move in the bed above me or Seth scaring the hell out of me by having his snout right in front of my eyes when I opened them. But now?

_Was I even alive?_

I must be, right? I mean... If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here right?

_But... wasn't I all alone in the darkness before too?_

But then I wouldn't feel pain, right? I wouldn't be able to do or feel anything,  _right?_

Then I must be alive.

Despite me hurting and feeling so tired I couldn't keep from that line of thought, and I couldn't ignore the sudden weight I felt inside my stomach.

If I was alive...  _Then what about Chiyo?_

_**Was she alright? Was she okay? Was she alive?** _

_Where is she? Why can't I hear her? Why can't she call out or scream?_

**Is she not awake?**

And what about Takeshi and Father? Where are they? Are they alright too?

Do they know what happened? Are they waiting for us at the game? Does Father even know that Mama is... Mama... she's...

**Mama is dead, isn't she?**

_She's gone, isn't she...?_  Dead...  _Father won't ever see her again, will he?_

Takeshi won't smile at her and tell her how much he likes baseball...  _Won't get to tell her how the game went..._

_Chiyo won't get to have her hair brushed by her again._  And she'll never play with her again.

And I...  _I will never hear her sing again._  I won't be able to hug her anymore, will I?

_She'll never be home again. She'll never smile at us or roll her eyes at our antics, she won't get to see Takeshi play again... or see him graduate. See him grow..._

**She'll never see us grow, now will she?**

No, she won't.

_**Because she died.** _

_Will she be like me?_  Is she going to wake up in a woman's arms, see the woman smile down at her and call her a different name other than Mariko?

I smile through the tears that are just streaming down my face. She'll create havoc if she does. Poor woman would be frightened at how loud Mama's voice can be, she'd be making a ruckus until she fell asleep worrying about us.

I choke back a chuckle.

That would be Mama right there and then. Worrying about us and not really caring about what's happening to her.

**Mama...**

I wanted to tell you so many things, I won't get to do that now. I wanted to show you that I memorized all the rhymes you taught me. That I knew all the games you showed me.

I wanted you to be there. You wouldn't have to do or say anything, you just had to be there. Just so I could see you, watching us play or go about our days. Send us this looks that told us that it would be unwise to create mischief.

_But you won't ever do that again._

**You are not here anymore.**

_Mama..._

**I don't want you to die.**   _I don't want you to leave. Go far away and never be there again._

"M-ma... Ma-a-ma... Mama..." I whimpered in the dark, my throat burning and my lungs hurting from my sobbing.

My vision swam and unfocused.  _My head hurt so much..._

"M-ama... Mama p-ple... please... D-do' go..." I choked out.

_**Please don't leave us...** _

* * *

I don't remember anything from what happened afterwards. My memories and recollection of the 'incident' are scattered, the two weeks we spent in the ICU, bedridden and knocked out for half that duration. The surgery and the cast on my arms and Chiyo's leg, the coming and going of half Namimori giving us their best wishes and condolences.

I barely remember anything from that time. Only what Chiyo told me, what she deemed important enough to acknowledge happened.

Father never left our side. Takeshi was staying with the Falks, his animosity with Elias never being present as he sat there, confused as to whether or not to cry, gazing back at me and Chiyo, either awake, drugged out or just asleep.

Grandmother and Grandfather had barely entered the room to see us. Grandmother was too heartbroken, having now lost her last living child, to see two of her grandchildren in hospital beds, bodies covered in bandages and bruises. Grandfather refused to enter, his own mind plagued with loss and memories. In his eyes I was Natsume, and there was nothing Father could say to dissuade him from that notion.

_And seeing 'Natsume' dying again was not something he could face._

Grandma and the rest of the Falks came to see us one afternoon, Elias crying and crying while holding onto her mother. Her eyes just couldn't stand to see us like this.

I had been in the hospital before, I had almost died in a hospital before, but this?

This was something no one ever imagined could happen.

Kazue-san came later, offered Father a shoulder to cry on and a quiet ear to listen to Father's thoughts and emotions. To get it out of his chest, because she knew that there would be days that he would want to scream at the world but he wouldn't be able to.

He had to look after us. All three of us.  _Who were just as broken as him at that moment._

Kyoya didn't come to see us in person, Chiyo did catch him staring at the window from afar, and there was this smile a nurse had when she gave us a pair of flowers in a jar that told us that Kyoya wished us to get better soon.

Taro had come to visit too, him and all his siblings, and he hugged us tight before leaving. Tears streaming down his face too.

I did ask Chiyo if we looked that bad back then, I don't remember exactly if I ever saw myself in a mirror or a reflection, but the grimace that she wore told me that yes, we looked as beat up as we felt and that grief and sleepless nights due to nightmares and pain didn't help.

Chiyo and I were discharged after those two weeks, sent home to be bedridden again, and while that was better than being in the hospital that also meant that we were home to hear all the people come to Mama's wake.

We were excused from having to attend, due to our health, but Takeshi had to be there.  _And even now, I feel so angry about that._  About the defeated look he wore as he got dressed in that black suit and went downstairs to sit by Mama's shrine, to place a white chrysanthemum in her coffin and to stay overnight beside it.

Father brought him upstairs the next morning, looking much older than what he truly was, and smiling tiredly at me. His hand stroking my hair before he hid his face in the blanket opened over my bed. Shoulders shaking with grief and silent sobs.

I tried to reach for him, tried to offer comfort, but my arms were heavy with the casts and I couldn't freely move without my back cramping up, sore and bruised, so I couldn't do much other than to watch him.

By the time the actual funeral rolled in Chiyo and I were feeling better, only our casts and some bruising remained, so we attended.

I honestly don't even remember the ceremony, the talking or the prayers. Before I knew it I was just standing in front of a smooth stone surface with my Mother's name on it. I do remember tracing my fingers over her name, seeing the characters that once made no sense to me, and just start crying.

It was so...  _random_ , I guess. I hadn't cried the whole ceremony, even if I had been 'in shock', so to just start crying after seeing and feeling the engraving on the stone marker was... strange.

Takeshi also surprised me by being the one that came over and pick me up, barely but still able to do it, and hugging me close. His own tears falling from his eyes and onto my shoulder.

_After that, and for a few weeks after, I just remember the_ quiet _._

The laughter and the ever presence that Mother brought to this house was just...  _gone_.  Leaving behind only silence.

Those days were the hardest. I mean, even now, everyday is a hard day but those few days, the ones right at the beginning of this, were by far the worst. You woke up and just couldn't find the strength to get up, you just wanted to close your eyes and forget. Try to imagine it was all a dream. That it would all be better once you woke up from it.

It truly felt as if something was missing in the house, not just in our hearts, but like the whole environment suddenly lacked something. Chiyo and I didn't felt like doing much during these few days, just sat or layed down on a couch or beanbag and just... stayed there. Takeshi was much the same but, unlike us, he immersed himself in baseball and school.

_He just started to focus elsewhere than to grieve._

Father did the same, opening the restaurant and starting to cook sushi again.

One day, Chiyo just got up and went to help him, Seth nowhere to be seen which was surprising, and left me by myself on the playroom.

It was so different than what it was usually like. The quiet was startling, the way I had taken for granted the welcoming environment that I had grown up with was eye-opening.

You couldn't just believe that everything would just stay the way they are right now. You never knew when something would happen. You had to appreciate everyday, try to make most of everyday.

**Live.**

' _Live_ '... Isn't that what the voice told me? When I was surrounded by darkness, begging for someone to help me, that I didn't want to be alone, when I was given a second chance...

' **Live** ' was my price.  _I had to live._

...

This wasn't just an ' _accident_ '.  _Was this meant to happen?_  Was this something of an obstacle that some higher form of power decided to grace me with as a means of a hard-earned lesson?

_Was this my fault for becoming too comfortable?_  Too sure of everything?

- **Y'a can't really fault a person. I mean, c'mon, this was bound t'a happen.**  - A voice said, bored and indifferent.

I turned to face where the sound came from but I saw nothing. There was nothing there, just a corner of the room, shadowed by the cupboard and toy box.

- **And tha' storm? Whew, yo' lucky tha' there weren't any mo' injured.**  - The voice continued from the same spot.

"Where are you? Who are you?" I asked sitting up on the beanbag, my arm casts just laying on my lap.

-  **Aah~ He wishes ta know my name! Too bad I can' give it to ya'.**  - The voice airily answered, still coming from the shadow-y corner.

"Why not?" I asked it.

-  **Cuz'... You are not ready yet.**  - The voice gave me the impression that it was shrugging it's shoulders.

"When will I be ready?" I asked it.

It went silent for a while, almost making em wonder if it had gone away, before answering.

-  **When ya' find yo' center.**  - It said.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

_I waited for an answer, waited for a long while, but no reply ever came._

* * *

If you look it from a certain point of view, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

A month had gone by between the blink of an eye, though it felt it moved at a snail's pace at the same time, and we were adjusting.

In other words we were functioning particularly well given the circumstances, Chiyo and Father would focus on the restaurant, though Chiyo sometimes fell back into a more morose state or secluded herself to her harp, while Takeshi was fast becoming an indispensable member to his baseball team, even if his school work left much to be desired, and I...-

I...

I was still on the stage of isolation that I wanted to move on but felt too guilty to do that. There was just something that kept me from being able to sleep soundly at night, Seth's mysterious disappearance and Chiyo's refusal to speak about it were prickling that part of me that wanted to jump and dive for cover at the slightest of sounds.

It was utterly ridiculous, I was well aware of that fact, but I just couldn't help it.

I was basically waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was in complete denial that everything was going to be okay after this so i refused to get attached to this sense of peace.

_This was just the calm before the storm._

And I was  ** _right_**.

It was dinnertime, Father had a particular mean time cooking all our meals while still trying to keep everything running in the household, all while slowly bringing out his perky persona, and keeping track of all of us and our achievements.

Between helping Takeshi with his homework and having Chiyo and I doing something productive (since we were not allowed in Preschool until next year) he was also keeping a watchful eye out on me, in particular, which I did not find out until I was much older.  _Kind of like a drunken confession really..._

And it was at such a dinnertime that Father just casually asked Takeshi something,  _which for the life of me I cannot remember what_ , and Takeshi suddenly just broke down into tears and snot. Father quickly tried to dissuade Takeshi's tears with quiet words and reassurances before Takeshi's words just created a different problem.

"It was my fault! Okaa-san wouldn't have been on that bridge if not for me! Natsu and Chiyo would've never been hurt!  ** _It was my fault!_** " Takeshi cried out.

"It was not your fault, Takeshi, it was just an accident! _It was not your fault that the storm destroyed the bridge!_ " Father was quick to assure him.

_**It was not your fault that the storm destroyed the bridge.** _

Those words echoed dully in my ears. And it was as if the world went gray all of a sudden, playing in slow motion, all sound leaving it with the exception of my heartbeat.

A static-y white noise was slowly creeping up on me but I ignored it for the time being, my heartbeat pounded loudly inside my skull and yet...

_Yet all I could hear was those words echoing inside._

_It was true wasn't it?_  If the lightning hadn't destroyed the bridge...  _Mama could've been saved_. The medics could've reached her in time to help her, wouldn't have lost time trying to dig us out of the rubble.

Furthermore... If we hadn't been with Mama, had we been at Preschool or just elsewhere, Mama wouldn't have been attacked. So it was true, wasn't it...

_It was not Takeshi's fault._

**It was mine.**

The breath I had in my lungs froze, the blood running out of my face, and my hands shook.

I felt Chiyo grab my arm, I felt her shaking me for a response, but I couldn't hear her voice, I couldn't hear a thing. I felt this huge pressure against my ribcage and suddenly I couldn't breathe.

_I needed air._

I pushed past Chiyo and just ran out of the kitchen, out onto the hallway and all but burst into the dojo, falling on my knees, and just grasped my chest. I couldn't breathe, as if I was being held underwater, and I couldn't hear anything other than my own pulse and the growing white noise static that became louder with each passing second.

**The lightning was my fault.**

_**I created the storm that destroyed the bridge.** _

**I hurt Chiyo.**   _I trapped her under that rubble. **She could've died!**_

And Mama... She was stabbed but if the medics had gotten to her fast enough she would've lived. A stab wound could be healed. Crushing wounds could not.

_I killed her then didn't I?_

_I killed her._   **I killed Mama.**

_It was my fault._

**_It was all my fault._ **

"Hey, hey! Natsushi, look at me!" Something broke through the static.

I felt something surround me, warm, that's the first thing I notice, so warm and smelled... familiar.

"Natsu! Breathe! Hear, listen to my heart, breathe when I breathe, okay? In and out, c'mon Natsu." The voice, garbled and unrecognizable as it may be, said.

I tried to focus on what the voice told me but...  _I just couldn't._

There was this part of me that was just screaming at the voice to shut up, to leave me alone and go far away from me. A part that was repulsed at the thought of listening to what the voice was telling me, and who was digging it's feet deep into my line of thought.

While another part reveled in the feeling of warmth and to the fact that someone was here, trying to help them, and urged me to follow it's instructions.

All in the middle of this battle of wills was me. Cowered between the two very loud forces with little to no strength to just keep my head above the water.

_In the end the decision wasn't mine._

There was this wave of pure power that just swept over me and instantly made my body relax. I was wide awake and responsive to see the startling blue flame dancing in my Father's fingertips and body as he cradled me close and swept his hand over my chest.

"Making me use my flames after this long... You are really troublesome, heh, Natsu." He smiled down at me," Gave me quite the scare too when you suddenly just blacked out in my arms too." He added with a grimace.

"Papa?" I croaked out.

Now that makes him blink.

"Natsu?" He asks confused, pressing his lips to my forehead to see if I'm running a fever.

"I killed her." I said, tears starting to fall down my cheeks," I made the lightning destroy the bridge."

I feel Father still completely, his arms going a tad slack, and I am just waiting for him to let go of me and start shouting. Angrily tell me that he hates me and that I am no son of his or something else my mind just automatically created once it perceived I messed up big time.

"It was not your fault. You did not kill her. Never say that you did, Natsu." Father said quietly but firmly.

"But it's true! I caused the bridge to fall! I hurt Chiyo and Mama! I killed her!" I say to him again, my tears impending me from seeing the look on his face.

"Natsu... While I believe that you caused that bridge to fall,  _and I forbid you from destroying another bridge ever again_ , you did not kill Mariko. Chiyo was hurt because of the rocks but it's not your fault. It was an accident, Natsu, she does not blame you for it." Father tells me in the same calm tone.

"How do you know? Why doesn't she? And how do you know I did not kill Mama?" I ask him, my throat feels like it's burning again.

"She talked to me, while you were sleeping in the hospital, you know she was awake longer than you." Father answered," She told me what happened on the bridge. Told me that there was nothing you both could do. That she froze completely, didn't even move or shout or try to break free due to the fear that had seized her when she saw Mariko get stabbed." Father continued.

"But you? She told me that you saved the both of you. You couldn't control your power so you destroyed the bridge by accident, that's true you did, but you saved yourselves from being taken by the Estraneo. And by the gods I am so relieved that you two are safe from them." Father finished.

"Why doesn't she blame me? And how do you know I didn't kill her? She could've been saved if a doctor reached her on time!" I told me.

"Chiyo doesn't blame you because she knows it's not your fault. It was an accident, Natsu. Chiyo doesn't hold that against you." Father told me, before his voice took a more subdued voice," As for Mariko... The knife did a lot of damage, your mother was a strong woman, Natsu, but she was not invincible. She died not because of the bridge but because the knife had cut on of her arteries. Natsu, your mother would've bled out on the way to the hospital even if the paramedics were right there. Mariko would've died even of you didn't destroy the bridge." Father answered sadly.

I look up at him, look right into those brown eyes sadly gazing at me, and I sense no lie.

"You aren't lying." I say.

"No, I'm not." Father smiles," You could always tell when someone was lying, even when you were just a baby."

"I know. I remember." I tell him quietly," Papa... Can I tell you something? You won't hate me?"

My father sits down and hold me closer to his chest.

"No matter what, Natsu, _you can always come to me_. Talk to me, whatever it is about, and I will never hate you. In this dojo?  _In this dojo, our hearts can be who they want to be._ " Father says passionately, if a bit lame.

"I saw what happened in the bridge. In a dream. Before it even happened." I tell him slowly," I thought it was just a dream. I didn't think much of it... And then..." I broke off.

"And then the accident happened..." Father guesses," Why would I hate you for that?"

"It was not that. It's... I remember being born, did you know?" I ask him.

Father looks down sharply at me.

"That's impossible. No one remembers their own birth." He tells me.

"When I was born, you and Mama were so happy. But as soon as I was in Mama's arms, you two have an argument. But Mama tells you something sharply and you just give in to her, and I fell asleep after that." I answer him with a wistful smile.

"We were arguing about your name. I wanted a more traditional name like Taichi and Mariko refused to let you be named anything other than Natsushi." Father revealed," How do you remember that?"

"I..." I start to explain before I cut myself off.

_**Do I want to Father to know?**_   _Do I want to tell him that I wasn't always Natsushi?_

"I just remember. I remember meeting Chiyo and Takeshi for the first time, it was just something that... well, I just remember." I shrug.

Father looks down at me with an unrecognizable expression before giving me a goofy like smile.

"Guess my baby boy is more special than we give him credit for." He teases.

"I'm not special." I grumble half-heartedly, internally thankful that Father didn't press at my horrible diversion of the question. Because I was very much aware that he saw through it.

"No, you are my little special snowflake. Oh, and I'll leave you to talk to Chiyo and Takeshi, your older siblings are getting antsy out there." Father chuckles.

I roll my eyes at him.

* * *

I was just standing in the middle of a forest. The breeze made the leaves around me rustle and flutter, the grass that grew between the trees and stumps, amongst the rocks and other shrubbery, reached a bit above my knees and, from what little I could see of the sky above, there were no clouds and it seemed to be early morning.

I couldn't see or hear any animals, no birds or rabbits or anything of the type, the forest was silent. Which made me feel very self-conscious and alert.

I couldn't see my reflection anywhere so I didn't know if this was just a dream or a vision from Isaia's time, it was irritating of just how much I had grew used to them to no longer be able to tell the difference.

A soft sound made me turn around, sharply and fast, but what I saw only made me freeze in place.

There was a pure white figure standing not too far from me, featureless and blank, hidden slightly by the tall trees. But even if there was nothing that could be used to identify the figure as someone, I'll just call it intuition, I knew that figure was someone I knew.

_**Someone that no longer existed.** _

A ' _ghost_ '.

"Mama..." The words escape my mouth.

As if struck by something the figure stills and stares at me. A hand coming to rest on the bark of the tree and I heard this garbled faint noise in the back of my head, giving me the impression that the figure was speaking.

_**But I couldn't hear her.** _

"Mama!" I repeat, taking a step forward.

The figure stills again, the same faint noises repeat, and this time I can see what I believe to be lips move. But I still can't understand what it's saying, and just as I go to take another step towards the figure, towards Mama, she turns around and starts running away.

"Wait! No, don't leave!" I yell at her retreating back.

**_She's leaving... Mama is leaving again... No... No!_ **

I start running after her, sprinting through trees and fallen trunks, rocks and low bushes.

_Wait a second, let me catch my breath,_

"Mama! Stop! Please, stop!" I call out, her fleeing back never leaving my eyesight.

_Remind me how it feels to hear your voice,_

"Mama! Come back!" I continue to call after her, my legs desperately trying to keep up with her.

_Your lips are moving, I can't hear a thing,_

"Mama! I'm sorry! Come back!" I try again.

I suddenly trip on a uprooted branch and fall, my knees and elbows hitting the ground and leaving me panting.

Raising my head I see that the figure has disappeared, successfully managing to flee my line of sight and into the forest. I punch the dirt floor beneath me, feeling slightly stupid for even trying to run after it, Mama my mind yells desperately, and the defeated sensation I felt a month ago, back when I was bedridden with my arms in casts, returned with a vengeance.

_Casts..._

That sends a jolt down my spine and makes me stare down at my bare arms.

There's no cast on them.  ** _Only scars._**

Spidery thin scares running up and down from my wrist up to my elbow, the result of having also been hit by my own lightning, that were slightly paler than my skin color.

Gazing down at them I am surprised to acknowledge that this cannot be a vision or a memory, and I don't think you can dream about what you never saw before, even the bridge nightmare made certain that while I could pinpoint some details, features that are unknown to me are hazy at best or distorted at worse.

So...  _How can I see these scars?_

This is a dream...  _right?_

- **Does it really matter if it's a dream or not?**  - A wispy voice asked.

I turn around to see nothing behind or surrounding me.

"Who are you?" I ask," You're not the same voice as before."

-  **No, I'm not. We are different, the two of us, but oh-so alike. And just as he did not say his name, neither will I.**  - The voice said.

"You seem more talkative than him." I say.

-  **I'm more patient than my counterpart, I believe someone has to be to guide you, help you find your resolve.**  - The voice says.

"Resolve? Whatever for?" I ask.

-  **To pass the trials ahead of you. To be ready for when the time comes, to be ready to wholeheartedly be the Temporale.**  - The voice answered solemnly.

"Why? What trials?! I don't understand!" I tell it.

-  **And that is normal, no one would expect you to know it right away. But you must be ready. You must find your resolve, your strength, and your center.**  - The voice said.

"What if I don't want to find my center? My strength and my resolve? What if I don't want to be the Temporale?  _You can't force me!_  This power..." I break off at the end, assaulted by the memories of what happened at the bridge, what led to the attack happening,"  _I don't want it.   **I don't want to be the Temporale**_."

The voice was silent for a moment.

-  **I am sorry that you feel that way, fate has been unkind for you in a certain way, but this is not your choice. And no, it is not mine either.**  - The voice said.

"Then whose is it?!" I ask, beyond angry that I had no voice in the matter.

-  **The Storms.**  - The voice answers, -  **The Storms are the ones that beg you to be the Temporale. You are the only one that can protect them.**  -

"Why?! What makes me so special?" I ask the voice.

- **The Storms require a guide themselves. A center to focus on.**  - The voice told him, -  **If that center does not exist their powers will grow out of their control and outburst, they could very well become time bombs waiting to go off. Storms cannot keep their powers undiscovered unless the Temporale helps them.**  -

"What could I possibly do to keep their powers under control? Compared to Chiyo I can't do anything!" I argue back to the voice.

-  **Ritsushima Chiyo can only use her powers as well as she can because you are her center. If you weren't her powers would be just like Marzia's before Isaia found her.**  - The voice revealed, -  **And if you are unstable, so will she and all other Storms you are center to. She hasn't been using her powers lately, has she?**  -

At the mention of Chiyo's powers, the sudden disappearance of Seth popped into my mind, she had been very subdued since his vanishing and I had wondered why that was.

" _Was that because of me?_ " I ask, my anger and annoyance gone.

- **Yes. You cannot accept yourself, you cannot calm your heart and see the world around you objectively. You are unstable, and that,**  - the voice answers, - **in turn, affects all the Storms you have met.**  -

"How can I possibly 'calm my heart' and 'see the world objectively'!" I exclaim," I don't want this. Nothing good will come out of being the Temporale or a Storm! The mafia will just find us and kill us! _Like they did to every Storm before us!_   _How are we any different?!_ " I yell.

-  **Do you want to be like the others before you? Are you just going to give up and let that happen? Become a leashed dog at the beck and call of a mafia Don?**  - The voice asks honestly, -  **Is that what you want Chiyo, Taro or Elias to become?**  -

"No! _I want to keep them safe!_ " I answer.

- **Then why don't you? Why do you give up?**  - The voice once again asks.

"What can I possibly do?  _I am weak, powerless!_  I do more harm than good!" I answer, exhausted,"  _I am just Natsu._  I'm not some worthy hero that swoops in and saves everyone from the bad guys."

-  **Then continue to be 'just Natsu'. Isaia was the greatest Temporale the world had seen in millennia, and he too had ups and downs in his path. You think he had an easy life? That he was born that powerful? That he never had regrets or did mistakes?**  - The voice asked, it's tone calm and patient.

"He had Pace. Pace helped him control his powers, Isaia didn't control his powers as easily as you want me to." I argue," I know what you're trying to do, trying to convince me to keep fighting, keep standing and move on, let go of all the emotions that I feel are smothering me.  _But I can't._ " I say, defeated.

_Living life as if we had a choice,_

The voice became quiet again.

-  **You feel as if your world has ended. You feel lost and there's no one that can save or help you, but that is not true.**  - The voice whispered, -  **You have your family and you have friends. The loss of one shouldn't mean that you'll lose the others. Do not distance yourself from the things you want most in life, by keeping your distance you're not protecting them, but rather leaving them unprotected.**  - The voice said.

"How do you know that?" I ask the voice.

-  **Aah... Because I know that whatever you hold dear, the closest you keep them, the closest you can reach them once they are threatened. And that no one is stupid enough to enter the dragon's nest to steal an egg with the dragon still in it.**  - The voice explains with an airy and lighthearted tone.

"How do you know so much about me?" I ask the voice, curious as to the straight to the point notions it had made, correct to a T.

-  **I know you because I've watched over you for a long time. Ever since you were born.**  - The voice answered, it's tone taking a more wistful sigh to it.

"I'm only three. It's not that long of a time." I tell it.

-  **Not since Natsushi was born. I've watched over you, over _Asa_ , since you were born on the other world.** - The voice corrected.

I still as my eyes widen.

"What do you mean?  _I was normal before all this happened. Why would you watch over me?_ " I ask, questions sparking inside my head.

-  **It is not important now, is it? We have a more important matter at hand.**  - The voice answers.

"What? Yes, it is important!" I argue, getting up from the ground and turning to the empty space behind me that I clearly felt the voice came from.

- **I cannot keep you here in this forest forever. And I do have a quota of how much time and guidance I can give you before tossing you over to the metaphorical sharks.**  - The voice sighed, -  **But I promise to answer your questions once we get this mess out of the way.**  -

I gaze shrewdly at the empty space.

" _How can I trust you'll keep your word?_ " I ask.

-  **You'll just have to trust me, won't you?**  - The voice replied back.

"Fine, how do I help the Storms? How do I calm my heart?" I ask, putting a hold on my questions and annoyance.

-  **You have to let go of all your pesky little doubts and emotions, and then we'll work on getting you a strong resolve.**  - The voice told me, giving a faint impression of being counting off it's fingers, -  **After that, we'll have to make you gain some control over your powers and by then finding your center will be a breeze.**  -

" _You make it sound so easy..._ " I mutter.

- **I do, don't I?**  - The voice laughed.

"How do you plan on 'getting rid of my pesky doubts and emotions'?" I ask.

-  **Oh, I'm not going to do anything. I'm not going to open that can of worms, I'll leave you to find a way to work that out by yourself.**  - The voice instantly replied, -  **You can't expect me to do all the work, do you?**  -

" _You're supposed to be helping me_!" I tell it, exasperated.

- **And I'm helping by telling you what you have to do, in order of importance too!**  - The voice answered.

"That is not helping!" I yell," Who can I possibly talk to?"

-  **You have your family and friends, it can't be that hard to tell them about this.**  - The voice said with a confused tone.

"I haven't told Father I was Asa before being Natsushi! Takeshi has no idea that his little siblings are part of a group of powerful people who, without a doubt, will be hunted down as soon as we are found by the mafia. And Elias, Taro and Chiyo just know that I have visions about Isaia." I tell the voice.

-  **Then tell them the rest, they have a right to know too.**  - The voice said.

"No. I can't." I say," Not yet. I haven't even sat down and processed the fact that I died and suddenly was reborn into this world filled with mafia men breathing down out necks while simultaneously having to worry about being the 'center' to six overpowered kids."

- **You have to talk to someone. You have to confide in someone, keeping this bottled up is not helping.**  - The voice said, sounding admonishing, - **If you cannot spit it out willingly then I will force your hand on this.**  -

"How? How can you do that?" I ask, trying to keep my fear of being forced into revealing this hidden.

-  **Same way Samael terrorized you. While I cannot do much when you're awake, in your dreams you are at my mercy. And while I have morals, I will not let you keep this up.**  - The voice answered with a calm tone, -  **You need to speak to someone. So did Isaia when he first started having his powers, it's normal and it needs to happen.**  -

"Isaia probably talked with Pace. Who, like I told you before, was more of a cane to Isaia support himself on. Pace was what kept Isaia going, who helped him control his powers and who never left him." I remind the voice.

- **True.**  - The voice said before growing quiet again.

"So where does that leave us?" I ask when the silence becomes unbearable.

_Remember me now, time cannot erase,_

\- Why don't you take a page from Isaia's book? - The voice suggested, - You have his memories, you thoughts and emotions.  _Why don't you try to be like him?_  -

_I can hear your whispers in my mind,_

"What do you mean 'be like him'? Earlier you said for me to be 'just Natsu'." I ask tiredly.

\- You can still be 'just Natsu'. You can simply use 'Isaia' like a milestone.  _Something you want to achieve._  - The voice explained, - Isaia is, after all, the Temporale you wish to become like, is he not? -

_I've become what you cannot embrace,_

I hunch my shoulders and glance away from the empty space I'd be staring at. It was true, of course. From all the things I'd seen from Isaia's life is that, even after all the hell he and the Storms went through, in the end they were happy. They earned their happy ending.

They deserved that happiness and the fact that they had that peace, that they were not hunted down or prosecuted just because they were Storms was something I aspired to recreate for Elias, Chiyo and Taro.

_The thought that made me want to keep fighting against the odds that we might be found and I might fail to protect them._

_Our memory will be my lullaby._

"He is." I answer it.

-  **Then try to focus on him. See what he does and try to copy.**  - The voice tells me, -  **Like a little duckling,**  - it jokes.

My eye twitches.

"And again I tell you, while that is helpful,  **Isaia had Pace**." I argue back," Marzia and Isaia were best friends, hell, Nico and Nero were very good friends with him too, but he only ever confined in Pace." I remind it.

-  **Isn't Chiyo your Pace?**  - The voice questioned.

"No." I answer easily," I trust Chiyo, Elias and Taro with my life, but I do not want her to worry about me. I don't want to burden her, she already went through enough."

-  **Why is that? The reason as to why Isaia trusted Pace was because they went through enough together.**  - The voice questioned again, probing around to see the true reason.

"It's not the same." I shake my head," Isaia and Pace went through a living nightmare together,  _and the bridge incident does not count so don't start with that_ , and Pace was the one that pulled Isaia along. And Isaia..." I explain.

- **And Isaia what?**  - The voice pressed.

"Isaia saw a world he wanted to believe in. He saw a world that Pace wanted him to see. For him to be ' _innocent_ '." I sigh," Pace obviously hated when Isaia got himself in trouble out of his own volition. Pace stuck through thick and thin with Isaia not because he needed or because he wanted to keep Isaia safe... He was there to watch over while letting him make his own decisions."

-  **And Chiyo doesn't do that?**  - The voice asks.

"No. Chiyo is there by my side constantly, though thick and thin yes, but not to 'watch over' or to 'advise'. She's there to make sure I don't kill myself." I give a small lopsided grin.

-  **And Taro and Elias?**  - The voice asked.

"Taro and Elias are there to back Chiyo up when I'm being stubborn.  _Pace was someone Isaia could get a word of advice from without there being other people interests involved._  Pace gave him the whole truth, while Chiyo, Elias and Taro would lie or keep something from me if it meant I would be safer." I answer," Just like I would do for them."

-  **Like you are doing, incorrectly, to them.**  - The voice sighed, -  **You must tell them, sooner rather than later, because if you keep this instability the signs will start to become more noticeable.**  -

"I get that. I do, honest!" I raise my hands to appease the voice, who I imagined looked ready to blow a gasket," I just... I don't want them to worry. I want them to be carefree... for a while longer."

-  **Ignorance is not bliss, as fools would like you to believe.**  - The voice warned, -  **You will worry them more if you keep this from them, and try to figure this out alone, than if you man up and just spit it out.**  -

"I know." I sigh, sitting back down on the ground and pulling my knees close to my chest," But I don't want to... not to them."

-  **When you had troubles or worries who did you go to?**  - The voice asks.

"You already know your answer. Mama, of course." I swallow a lump in my throat," But she's not here anymore. Or she's not here now." I add.

-  **You were correct the first time. She's not here anymore, period.**  - The voice told me, -  **That white figure was a subconscious reaction to your longing. The more you dig yourself in your doubts and negative emotions the more you'll see it, and the more you see it the closer to the edge of depression you'll be.**  -

"What?" I ask, raising my head and staring wide eyed at the empty space.

-  **Like I said, the more you see that personifications of your negative emotions, the closer you'll be to the edge of depression.**  - The voice repeated, - **I'm sure the Asa in you can figure out what that means.**  -

"The more depressed you are the more problems occur, instability for example. Which in turn will cause..." I trail off, horrified.

- **Cause your powers and that of the Storms to spiral out of control and outburst. If you were scared stiff by the destruction you alone caused to the bridge, by your want and using only a small percentage of your power, I need not to tell you the magnitude of destruction seven Storms cause by unwillingly using all their powers.**  - The voice continues, non-pulsed.

"... How do I stop that from happening?" I ask quietly.

-  **Like I said several times before, the first step is to get rid of those emotions. And to do that you must talk with someone!**  - The voice told me, clearly exhausted of having to repeat the same notion time and time again.

"Sorry..." I wince.

-  **It's okay. I should've been expecting you'd be this unwilling, uncooperative, stubborn and slow.**  - The voice seemed to shrug tiredly, -  **Your 'initiation' hasn't exactly been going along with the plan. And that's our fault, partially, so we just have to suck it up and deal with it. Don't worry, it will get better.**  -

"But where does this leave me. I am not talking to Chiyo, Taro or Elias. Father and Takeshi are out, and I swear I will not drag Kyoya or Ryohei into this." I ask.

- **I know. I'm thinking of something.**  - The voice says, murmuring something under it's breath.

I lay down against a fallen tree trunk, my knees close to my chest, and rest my head in my arms. All the information that I had just received made my head hurt and also made me feel really cold inside. This was not something that I even imagined, something I was not ready to deal with.

What I witnessed through Isaia's memories could not even explain or soften the blow that was to learn that if I messed up, I was messing six other people. If I 'gave up' I was basically handing them over to be turned into weapons and if I 'lost it' completely I could be causing a lot of destruction.

_What to do?_

Chiyo would kill me if she found out I was not telling her this but... I didn't want to tell her. I didn't want her to worry, and I did not want her to find out about this. Why couldn't anything ever be just plain and simple?

_I did not sign up for this._   _And if I did, I obviously forgot to read the fine print._

' **Live** ' didn't even begin to cut it for me. It was not worth it, really. This  _was Asa's second chance?_

_I feel like I'm being lied to here._

**But isn't life exactly that?**  There are times you feel you're the king of the world, and then in the next you feel cheated somehow.

So, ' **Live** ' is what I'm doing. To 'live' is to keep facing this moments and keep walking. If that voice had told me 'survive' than it would mean I'd have to do whatever it took to keep my head above the water.

In this situation, the voice wanted me to actually build a boat or paddle to a better spot.  _Make the best of out every situation._

' **It will get better** '.  _Isn't that what I always said to myself back when I was Asa?_

When I dropped my head in a pillow, tired after another day of school, and I just wanted to sleep and never wake up. Isn't that what always made me wake up?

' _ **Someday it will get better, so I need to keep going.**_ '

_Isn't that what Pace made Isaia see?_  The reason as to why he kept letting Isaia go off into the world and not just keep him prisoner in a tower somewhere? Because Isaia needed to see the worst to appreciate and identify the best.

_**This was a glass half empty, glass half full situation.** _

Either I budge up and face the responsibility of my actions out of my own will or I'd have to have someone make me face them. And I'd have to see both sides, the one where I see my actions and it's consequences and the side where I see my actions and consequences from another's point of view.

Two sides of the same coin. The 'light' and 'dark'.

_Pace made Isaia see and know both. And he let him choose..._

' **Which one do you want to be like?** '

' **Which one do you wish for us?** '

' **Which do you want to protect?** '

_This was all a trial in itself._  An obstacle I had to face and work out by myself.

**_This was what Isaia had been faced with._ **

' **Why don't you try to be like him?** ' ' **Use his as a milestone.** ' ' **He was the greatest Temporale.** '

_Why is that?_   **Haven't there been others before him?** _Like Natsume?_

But Natsume  _ **went**  _with the Vongola. He killed for the Vongola, to save himself,  _because he didn't want to die._

_What about me?_  If I had been faced with the same question, what would I say?

I don't know... On one hand I can understand the unwillingness to die, but on the other... If it was to keep Taro, Elias and Chiyo, Father and Takeshi safe, I'd give my life up without hesitation.

And Isaia  _would_  do the same, _I know he would_ , because they are his life and without them,  _he wouldn't be able to live_.

_Is that why he's the greatest?_  Because he saw the value the others had?  _Because he'd rather have them happy and alive then letting them come to harms way? Even if that meant giving himself up?_

**But I don't want to die..**. _Not again._

**I don't want them to die.**  I won't let them die, even if I have to walk across all seven hells to bring them back.

So...  _Where does that leave me?_

-  **You already have your answer inside you. Think about it for a while longer, I'm sure you'll find the answer.**  - The voice spoke up, -  **And you better be grateful to me, I pulled a few strings for you.** \- The voice said with a haughty tone.

"What do you mean ' _you pulled some strings for me_ '?" I ask with a bit of hesitation.  _I don't know if I want an answer._

-  **Start walking in the direction you were going before I talked to you. Keep going and don't stop until you are out of the forest.**  - The voice simply said.

"What do you mean?" I said getting up, wincing at my slightly sore bottom, turning to face the direction I had been going.

-  **Just run.**  - The voice sighed.

"Why?" I ask a sigh myself.  _Why couldn't it just say what it meant?!_

-  **RUN!**  - The voice actually screamed.

I saw this huge shadow jump out of the ground suddenly, spindly arms limply raised in the air with black claws gleaming in the poor lighting in the forest. I saw no eyes or mouth but I sure as hell wasn't going to wait here to find out.

_I started running even before the claws were fully raised in the air._

I could hear it getting closer, the branches and rocks being crushed under the weight of it.

_I had never ran faster in my life._

But just as I felt that this was it (and wasn't that just sad? Just as I was reaching the epiphany of my life, I died) the forest suddenly disappeared and was replaced by tall grass and a summer blue sky.

The Prairie...  _ **This was the Prairie.**_

I could recognize the mountain and the big stone castle, though it's closer than I ever saw it before, and turning around I see the dark forest that I had been scared of before. (And guess I had good reason to, anyway).

I turn to look at where I usually appeared when I entered the Prairie. There was no crow perched atop of it, and I only saw the Eagle flying about, so I decided to walk towards it. It wasn't very far from me, and I could actually run now so I didn't need to crawl my way there anymore.

But as I was getting closer my mind continued to go back to the voice's words.

'I pulled some strings for you', what did that mean? I had asked it to help me find a solution about talking to someone without that someone being Chiyo, or the others, Father or Takeshi.

_**But my answer came soon enough.** _

As I reached the stone cross, the one I always appeared next to, I saw that there was someone already there. A person sleeping against the stone, a hat on top of it's head, shadowing it's face and eyes from the sun, a plastic camera secured with a strap around it's neck, like a necklace.

I stopped in front of the person, staring confused at it's appearance, since I had always believed only those I knew could enter it.  _Or better, only Storms could enter it._

The person was just a boy, but much older than me, older than even Elias and she was the oldest of our group, being six years old, with wavy brown hair. His skin was light but it wasn't pale like Elias' or as light as Chiyo's.

It was wearing a simple t-shit and shorts, his legs showed an impressive amount of plasters, and he had sandals on. It was the perfect outfit for Summer, a contrast with the weather we'd been having lately, Autumn was already in Namimori, the loss of Mama making the change startling fast.

As I was staring at him, I noticed that I hadn't yet seen his face, since it was covered by his hat, so I carefully toed closer to him. Using every ounce of carefulness I had in me to keep from stepping over him, and I slowly started to raise the hat off his face.

He was young. Not a teenager yet, though I could see that he'd soon be turning into one, and he didn't have particularly long eye lashes, he had a small nose and a thin mouth.

**_All in all he looked a bit like..._ **

"Já acabaste de olhar para a minha cara?" The boy suddenly speaks, starling me and causing me to flinch away from him, incidentally taking his hat with me. (Are you done staring at my face?)

He opens his eyes, staring at me with confused yet at the same time amused, revealing their caramel brown color.

Except nothing can ever be as simple, can it? He couldn't be just a random kid that wondered into the Prairie.

_No, it never can._

While staring straight into my eyes, eyes that were wide open and amazed,  **his own turn from caramel brown to beautiful sparkling green**.

_**Pace.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And for those who don't recognize the language, it's European Portuguese (my mother tongue). So I hilariously don't need google translator to write his lines. Haha.
> 
> As for the verses that appear on this chapter (no worries people, I'm not going to make this an habit, it's merely because it fits perfectly) is the song Sing me to Sleep by Alan Walker.
> 
> I'll explain the verses:  
> Wait a second, let me catch my breath,  
> Remind me how it feels to hear your voice,  
> Your lips are movin', I can't hear a thing,  
> Livin' life as if we had a choice,
> 
> \- This verses refer to Natsu and his Mother, and the fact that Natsu feels the need to keep going even if he doesn't want to. (aka It was not his choice to have this life in the first place), and are mostly self-explanatory. Natsu is trying to chase his Mother, he doesn't want to forget or let go of her, but he's tired and he can't keep chasing her forever.
> 
> Also whatever she's 'telling' him, he cannot hear, that's another part of his subconscious telling him that he's ignoring the warnings to not dwell or agonize over the past.
> 
> Remember me now, time cannot erase,  
> I can hear your whispers in my mind,  
> I've become what you cannot embrace,  
> Our memory will be my lullaby.
> 
> \- Now these verses are different. This is like a conversation between Isaia and Natsushi. Isaia tells Natsushi to remember him, take him as an example, and that time cannot erase him or what he's done. Natsu then says that he can 'hear' Isaia's whispers (his visions, memories, actions) in his mind.
> 
> Isaia then tells Natsu that he (Isaia) became what Natsu cannot embrace (the hardships of being a Temporale, the responsibility and the duty), and this is more of a chaste warning, like telling him that Natsu doesn't need to force himself to be him (Isaia). But then Natsu tells him that their memories will be his lullaby, they will be what he aspires to make happen.  
> The hope that allows him to keep going or to sleep at night without worries.  
> That's the main reason as to why I impute the song lyrics in.


	29. Part II - Chapter 2

He kept staring at me, amusement rolling off him in waves, with his brown wavy hair fluttering due to the light breeze while I was just... shocked.

His features were soft, childish, yet there was a hard edge to them. A scar, it's skin slightly lighter, could be seen peeking out of his bangs near the top left of his head, a split lip that I was now aware of and there was this... this shadow in his eyes.

Sadness.

Tiredness.

Hollow...

It was startling. The fact that his eyes glowed that beautiful sparking green color and yet his own chocolate caramel ones looked so empty.

Do mine look like that? Do I look just as empty?

This was not Pace. This was not a dream and this was not a memory. Pace's eyes were never this hollow, this empty, even during the times where it was just him and Isaia. Pace's features were thinner and more chiseled, his were rounder and more... weighted.

They were very similar... but they were very different from each other.

"Então? O gato comeu-te a língua?" The boy said, to my consternation as I had no idea of what he was saying, with a slightly gruff tone. (What? Cat got your tongue?)

"Aah..." I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out. I was literally speechless as I stood there in front of him.

What was I supposed to say? What was he saying to me?

He must've realized something, maybe he just took notice of what I looked like or where he was, because he blinked and cocked his head to his side, much like a bird, and stared at me so... so confused, worrying his bottom lip.

The lighting that this action cast on his face made a few small freckles on the bridge of his nose stand out, his brown hair falling a bit to the side as his head moved.

The feeling of fabric in my hands made me look down on them, a dark brown hat with a very dark green ribbon around it, there were small sticked patterns on the bridge of it, though the form of the hat looked familiar the name escaped me, I could not recall exactly why it looked familiar. It was light as a feather, which surprised me, since the hat did not look light.

Maybe it was familiar to me due to Isaia's memories, there was a faint vein of nostalgia mixed into the feeling of familiarity.

And as I was looking at the hat, my hand brushed against a small tag on the inside.

The carefully written letters, which I could only vaguely recognize as Asa's memories mixed into my current ones (and wasn't that giving me constant headaches), what I believed to be the latin script, reminded me of how Mama would write our names in the packages and school bags. The precise hand of a mother that wanted her child's things to be easily identifiable and easy to read.

Not like the chicken scratches Chiyo and I had done in our first attempts at the whole writing bussiness.

VASCO, the capital letters read.

"BAH-zu-KOH?" I try out, my tongue tripping over the word.

But he seems to understand me since he perks up and sits up, his hands coming to rest on the top of his knees, and he leans closer to me.

"Consegues ler?" He looks surprised. (You can read?)

I look confusedly back at him. Not really understanding what he was speaking. It was a disconcerting situation, the fact that I would see his lips moving but couldn't make anything out. Not even when I was dreaming about Isaia did this happen.

But, mostly due to my silence, it was like a bulb went on inside his mind.

"Ah! Não percebes o que eu estou a dizer, pois não?" He exclaimed. (Ah! You don't understand what I'm saying, do you?)

I look lost at the words he's saying to me, the hollowness and tiredness in his eyes set deeper as he frowns. In a quick gesture, that had me jumping back from him on pure nightmare-induced reflex, he extended his hand to me.

I stared at his hand, acting very slow minded, and frowned uncomprehendingly.

His frowns harder and reached out again but I take a few steps backward from him.

"Hey! Puto, podes devolver-me o meu chapéu?" He says with a gruff tone, shadows curling around his eyes. (Hey! Kid ***** , can you give me back my hat?)

I waver in my steps. Looking at him but not comprehending him, his voice sounded angry. No, not angry... annoyed?

He huffs and points his finger at my chest, I looked down at it to see me clutching the brown hat, frowning in confusion until it clicks.

I turn bright scarlet as I realize I still had his hat with me, I shakily give the hat back.

Or tried to at least...

As soon as my arm is within reaching area he grabs me and pulls me towards him, making me trip and fall on my knees over him. I don't really know what exactly made me react, I don't know if it was him grabbing me, or the fact that I was already sufficiently 'jumpy' and emotionally tired without having to have a random kid suddenly grab me out of nowhere.

Or maybe it was because of his green electrifying core power...

That suddenly made me lash out, sparks of green and light purple crackling around my fingers and shocking the boy, making him yelp in the suddenness of it.

And as soon as the quick realization dawns on me that I was not under attack and that I just accidentally hurt someone with the power that had killed at least three people, I try to free myself from his arms, crying out in horror as terror and panic flood over my senses.

My hand blurring to deformed claws drenched in deep red liquid, my heart jumping to my throat, and a scream about to spill out of my lips.

But it never leaves.

Arms, arms so so warm, wrap around me and someone hushes me. The feeling of being hugged makes me think that I woke up from the Prairie, but the arms are too slim to be either Chiyo's or Takeshi's, and too small to be Father's. The voice is male but younger than Father and older than Takeshi's pitched one.

"'Tão? Shh... 'Tá tudo bem. 'Tá tudo bem, não me magoaste, 'tá tudo bem..." The voice whispers. (Hey *****? Shh... Everything's fine... Everything is fine, you didn't hurt me, everything is okay...)

I want to pull back, to get away from the warm embrace he has me in, the fear that I just might hurt him, shock him, try to break free too roughtly

The fear keeps building up inside me, panic overriding my senses, and then there's this faint crackling sound.

An echoing jeer, taunting ghostly whispers that melt into this big ball of incomprehensible gibberish. But the feelings remain, the emotion behind the words, words that I don't understand fully, the english that Asa spoke so fluently mixing and breaking off as it was replaced with the japanese Natsu spoke.

Years of lack of use meant that it all just became a far off memory. Some bits stayed, some words or sentences that Asa remembered with fondness, the names of family, of home...

There's this burning feeling behind my eyes, my chest feels heavy again and I, stupidly, try to push him away with more vigor. Try to break free of the warm arms that held me close, never hurting me or constricting my movements harshly.

It's when I push him away that the whole world just lurches sideways.

The pain spikes inside my chest and I feel this ungodly amount of pressure on my lungs, something clawing, trying to break out of me, and I remember what the voice told me moments ago.

_**The more depressed you are the more problems occur, instability for example. Which in turn will cause your powers and that of the Storms to spiral out of control and outburst.** _

This was me outbursting. This was me standing way to close to the edge, my feelings drowning me from the inside out, the haunting voices and whispers, that not even death saved me from them, the memories that I so wished to forget...

I was having trouble breathing. I was so scared, my thoughts kept getting lost in circles worrying about the others and if they were suffering to, if they were being found and terrified of what was happening.

The sea blue/green color of my eyes looked darker, mixed with a few haunted shadows that make them glassy and lifeless, there's no hint of my usual self in them, that's what he told me many years later, he saw the broken side of me, the one that was hurting so much that didn't even acknowledge what pain was anymore.

I just seem to stand there, eyes wide open, unseeing, black clouds breaking over us and the ground cracking around us.

Was this it? Is this how the Storms end? Because of me?

No...

I don't want this. I don't want to hurt them...

Please... I'm sorry...

I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt them...

Not anymore... Please...

...

I want to go home.

Arms wrap around me again, he's speaking but his voice is muddled to my ears, I can't hear him. I can't understand him, and my eyes can't seem to focus on anything, my vision is watery, blurry and dim.

I feel one of his hands stroke against my cheek, the warmth startling the cold wind that brushed them.

There's this... void inside. It's eating at me, slowly breaking me into tiny pieces, turning them into nothingness. I want it to stop, I want to stand up... I want to get rid of this feeling.

Just like that cold, cold black room when I was in the hospital, I want to reach the light. I want to leave...

But I can't get up. My legs won't work. They are too tired, nothing I think about gives me strength to stand up. Mama and Father called me back... Last time, they called me back from the very edge of death. I was dying, my body crumbling under the pressure of my power, and now I was withering away again, faster than before.

Will... Resolve... Determination...

I had nothing like that. I was tired. I was weak. I was hurting. And I felt so lost.

"Shh... Não me consegues ouvir? Não ouves a minha voz?" There's this scared rush of words that break though the muddle myriad of gibberish. (Shh... Can't you hear me? Can't you hear my voice?)

"Mama... I can't breathe... I don't want this... Mama... help me..." I whisper, voice fading and weak.

"Mama?" The voice stumbles a bit with the word," Eu não entendo o que estás a dizer. Não chores, a tua Mama não deve querer que chores, né?" The voice tries. (I can't understand what you are saying. Don't cry, your Mama wouldn't want that, right?)

His voice keeps trying to pierce through the thick shell of darkness around me, too weak to do more than shed a few specks of light, but even so... His voice keeps me from sinking further.

\- Focus on him... - A whisper brushes past my ear, - He'll guide you back, anchor you, listen to him. Can't you see his light?-

Light?

There's this hum in the air, faint smell of still warm bread, through the cracks on the shell around me I focus on the misty green light peeking into the shell. Just brushing across the surface of it.

\- Reach it. - The whisper urges, - Can't you feel it? Can't you see?-

See what? Darkness? Feel what? The cold?

\- Look at it! What do you see? - The whisper continues to urge.

I see...

I... I see...

A darkened street... Glowing eyes...

I see Home...

* * *

The winds were howling, there were falling and flacking leaves circling harshly on the ground. The cobblestone roads and streets seemed endless, all looked the same to me, the long while I had been walking was making my feet tired, exhaustion was threatening to pull me asleep right there on the ground.

I couldn't keep walking. I was cold and tired.

But I had to keep walking. I had to read Italy. I was going to go home, that's what I kept telling myself, even if my traitorous mind kept reminding me that They were the ones that left me behind. The ones that never even bothered to leave a letter behind explaining why they had to leave. Just a note attached to his ankle, hastily scribbled and smudged on the edges, the ink messily spilled on a botched attempt at good handwriting.

A note I had read so many times, never feeling satisfied with it. There was nothing written on it except a name.

Isaia Belmonte.

An italian name, the elderly nun had told him when he asked her why his name sounded so much different than the others, meaning he wasn't from France. Or, at least, his parents weren't.

And to me, at that time, it only meant one thing.

I have to go to Italy to find them. It will be easy, the border is not very far from here, just past the hills and you're there. It's so close, and when you're there, you'll be home.

That was months ago. It was mid summer when I left and now fall was going to be over soon. Winter was going to make everything cold and covered in white. People had approached me at first, when I was still not sure where to go exactly, but after a while I realized that I may have passed the border already. What they spoke, I couldn't understand.

It sounded gibberish to me.

A rather harsh wind blew past me and my hat, one that I had found tossed beside a river, flew off my head.

"Hey!" I yelped, running to catch it.

I could see my breath fogging, my fingers felt numb and my left foot throbbed.

I was just about to catch the hat when I slam straight into someone.

"Oof!" I fall on my behind, my hands reaching to my nose, it hurt~

"Non riuscite vedere dove si sta andando?" A young voice replied, sounding slightly amused. (Can you not see where you are going?)

"Ow... Qu'est-ce que vous avez fait de?" I groan out as I try to shakily get up, my exhaustion doing me no favors. (Ow... What are you made of?)

I see the kid, older than me by a few years if the height difference is of any importance, blink at my words and look past me, obviously searching for someone else.

"Dov'è la tua famiglia?" He asked confused. (Where is your family?)

I burrow my brow as I try to understand what he is saying, until I see that he's holding my hat.

"Ah! C'est à moi!" I yelp trying to grab it back, only for the kid to raise it in the air. (Ah! That's mine!)

"Che ci fai qui?" The boy asks something. (What are you doing here?)

"Rends le moi!" I yell reaching miserably to try and grab it back, my foot throbbing painfully as I jump to try and reach it, making me hiss and glare at the boy. (Give it back!)

He had messy hair, the color not recognizable on the darkened streets, but his eyes were of a lighter color, they were twinkling like stars, an amused smirk played on his lips. He was wearing thicker clothes, though they seemed too big on his form, and his boots were scruffy.

He was about to say something, maybe a sarcastic retort or something I would obviously not understand, when there's this whistle blowing sound and yelling.

Lots and lots of yelling.

Instantly, the boy looks alarmed, his eyes swishing back and forth on the streets as he tries to make out where the sound is coming from. The tension rising was making me scared and I notice pretty soon that the sound is getting closer.

"Cazzo!" The boy hisses as he suddenly grabs me by the arm and starts running, dragging me after him, my hat still in his hand. (F**!)

"Ah! Que fais-tu?!" I yelp as he continues to pull me with him as he swishes cross several streets and back corner alleys. (Ah! What are you doing?!)

"Shh! Sta' zitto!" He shushes me with hiss, his eyes always watching every corner of the streets before running past. (Shh! Be quiet/shut up!)

I fall silent as I try to run to keep up with his dragging me, which was starting to hurt my arm, but I was too tired to do so. I fell behind him quite fast, huffing and panting with exhaustion, my legs barely keeping up. Until he finally stopped beside a partly caved in and clearly abandoned house. The roof looked as if it had burned and fallen, with the walls covered in moss and all the windows either missing or broken.

"Questa via, andiamo." He quietly whispered. (This way, c'mon.)

He knelt down on the ground and rolled a big rock that was in beside a wall to the side revealing a basement window, there was no glass and no light could be seen inside, it was all dark and there was no way to know how deep it was.

I was worried and scarred. But most of all, I was tired, so I just gave in and knelt beside him, followed after him as he dropped into the basement. My foot heavily protested this action as it simply gave up all efforts of working through the pain as I fell into the basement, which was deep into the ground, and had to cry out as the pain intensified.

A light flickered on, the boy looked worriedly at me before climbing on top of several wooden boxes and using the stone to cover the window again. Quickly after that he came to my side and easily picked me up, which both startled me and made me fight his hold on me.

He grumbled something to me before placing me on top of a wooden structure, random pieces of cloth and sheets layed around, and he then started going through his bag, which I only now realize he had with him.

I could see him clearly now, his hair was brown and he had skin slightly darker than mine, though something told me that that was only because I was slightly toasted from having decided to travel a long way from France to Italy in the summer.

"Hai fame?" He asked, turning back to face me. (Are you hungry?)

I tilted my head with a frown. Again with those weird words, I understood that it was only right that he spoke italian, I just didn't realize that it would sound so different from french. It was frustrating.

"Aah~ Davvero non si capisce una cosa..." He huffed with a wry smile. (Aah~ You really don't understand a thing.)

I glared at him, his words sounding mockingly.

He then made exaggerated motions to the stomach and mouth, pretending to eat and then pointed at me.

Aah... I wanted to eat?

"Suis-je faim?" I asked him, my brow still furrowed," S-í?" I tried out the word, having heard it enough times to get it. Though, Yes or No wasn't really on the top of answers people usually wanted from me. (Am I hungry?/Yes?)

He nodded, going back to his bag and taking out a full bread, breaking off two pieces and handing one to me, he sat next to me, trying to take off his boots without using his hands.

We ate in reasonable silence, my eyes getting heavier with each passing moment. I didn't realize I had fallen against him until he brushed the bangs off my eyes and I, startled looked up at him.

His eyes looked like gems, green twinkling gems, that was the first thing I noticed.

He smiled tiredly back at me and again made a big show to yawn and point at me. I nodded tiredly and redignedly.

"Aah! Ho dimenticato di chiederti il tuo nome!" He said with a wryly expression, looking at my tired self. (Aah! I forgot to ask you your name!)

"Hmm?" I cocked my head to the side. Too tired to even try to ask him what he meant.

He pointed at himself and simply said:

"Pace Corvi, e tu?" He smiled as he then pointed at me. (Pace Corvi, and you?)

I blinked.

Pace... That was a strange sounding name. Much like mine.

"Isaia. Isaia Belmonte." I answered.

* * *

I blinked the memory away, the shell was still very much around me, the darkness restricting but the fear was no longer there. My heart was calm, or as calm as it could be.

I looked at the light again, sensing it's warmth through the cracks and I reached out. Light flooded my sight, making me blink fast at the dark spots, the arms were still around me but he had me against his chest now. A hand was stroking my cheek and his eyes were wide with both confusion and fear.

His eyes glowed green, an eerie green with an intensity that it could bore holes into cement, but looked very much like gems at that moment.

Pace.

"You have Pace's eyes..." I whispered. He looked startled and more confused but he said nothing.

He can't understand my words, and I can't understand his... Isn't this deja-vu?

"My mother is dead... I'm sorry, I know that I shouldn't say it to the first person I come across but I'm scared." I continued to whisper, my hand coming to clutch a piece of his shirt.

But those few words still made me wince.

It was like a pair of bruises on your body. They were not bleeding but they hurt, you worried about them for a few minutes but then forget about them, only to remember them when you accidentally press them on some surface.

I remember him stilling for a moment, looking intently at me, and I remember I barely gave a thought about it, too busy trying to get words out of my muddled mind. His expression never changed much, but then again, he very much like Takeshi, had one hell of a impassive or goofy expression all the time. Except his eyes showed whatever was on his mind.

He had expressive eyes, I had told him that several times, but he always told me mine were the most expressive.

I don't believe him. He clearly hasn't seen how his eyes glow when we all group together, when we play a game, when we tell stories or just laze around on the afternoon.

His eyes are like twinkling gems... Bringing so much nostalgia, so much resolve... So much pride.

His eyes shone a beautiful green color.

His arms pulled me closer, not understanding my words but feeling the heaviness behind them, and for a moment I closed my eyes.

It's warm...

I remember this feeling, this warmth, from when Mama used to hug me close like that. She was softer and bigger, stronger, but just as warm. Tears started spilling from my eyes and the world stopped spinning.

"O que aconteceu? O que se passa?" Vasco asked, his voice calm, a white veil fell over him and I saw Pace's silhouette, the brown hair tied in a low ponytail, the green eyes exasperated but so happy, and the smile he always had on his face. The calm air and resolve that surrounded him. (What happened? What is wrong?)

The comfort that it brought me, the feeling of home...

I opened my mouth to say something, to call out to Pace, to the voice that had spoke to me, something... anything...

But I just spilled everything that had happened.

Everything.

Asa...

My death...

Natsushi...

Chiyo...

My friends...

My family...

The Storms...

The memories and dreams...

The voices and figures...

Mama...

Like a dam had been broken I just couldn't keep the words inside anymore. The weight that they placed on me lifting bit by bit, the calming peace of getting them out of my chest was so relieving. I felt exhausted, the energy that was being zapped from me, drained bit by bit due to my failing resolve, the losing struggle to keep my head above the water, left me sore and empty.

But oh so light...

I closed my eyes, listening to the steady heartbeat coming from his chest, silence fell over the Prairie my tears having dried up somewhere during my confession of two lifetimes and the wet patch of my shirt tickled my cheek.

No one said a thing, the boy, Vasco, had layed back against the cross somewhere during my long spiel of foreign (to him) words, and it was peaceful.

The heartbeat against my hear was so strangely comforting, nostalgic, loving... This peaceful time, I wished it would last forever.

This eternal summer, though my most hated season, has brought me so many good memories.

The silence was broken when he started talking, I didn't speak or interrupt much like he hadn't, and I just listened. I couldn't understand exactly what he was speaking but I felt his pain and pride, his loss and love, the adoration and enjoyment of some things. I just let his words wash over me, no longer feeling that heavy void inside.

This... This right here...

This peace and quiet, the warm weather and the wind softly brushing past us and the tall grass...

This is home...

This is my dream... My reality...

I thought back at Father and Takeshi, Chiyo, Taro and Elias... I imagined them all running around this place, laughing away the day, and for a moment I thought I had heard the faint bells of laughter echoing with the wind.

And it was right there, that day, at that moment, when my eyes were tiredly closing against his steadily beating heart, that they glowed a myriad of colors, something bright and dangerous glinting behind the innocently looking bright blue/green eyes.

_This is my_ **Home** _._

And by choice or not,  _I am the Temporale_.

I am needed. I am wanted. I am loved.

I will not be a coward anymore. I will stand and face the ones mocking and taunting my Home in the face. I will not run nor will I hide.

If anyone else comes knocking, if anyone else dares to try and take my family from me, dares to try and hurt them...

My eyes blazed, flames purple, blue and green erupt around me, wrapping us in a blanket of power, a surge of energy spiking inside me.

_**I will end them.** _

* * *

Deep inside the forest, purple eyes pulsed with power, a terrifyingly large shadow towering over them, sharp glinting teeth seem to form a large bloodthirsty grin, a smaller but no less dangerous smile joined in.

"Finally..." A voice said, glee and anticipation practically dripping from it.

\- He's ready? - Another asked, more gruff and low toned.

"No. Not yet." The first voice seemed somewhat displeased.

\- But soon? - The second asked.

The smile turned sharper.

"Yes."

* * *

I woke up to find the early morning sun filtering through the window. It was raining outside and I saw the leaves of the trees turning red and gold, autumn was in full bloom and before we'd know it winter would be here again.

A first christmas without Mama...

I felt the familiar pang of sadness but it was not excruciating. I was not 'unstable' anymore...

A sudden need to see if there were changes with Chiyo had me jump out of bed and run into Chiyo's bedroom (but still careful enough to not make much noise and not slam the door open) and what I saw made my heart leap.

Seth was curled around her again, lazy red eyes staring at me with a look that was fifty percent exasperated and fifty percent drowsily annoyed.

I then decided to have a dance with the devil and promptly threw myself on top of Chiyo, making her squeak as her sleep was rudely interrupted and then start shouting insults at me when she realized what had happened. Seth just decided to go continue his nap on the carpet.

Loud footsteps had me look up from the squabble me and Chiyo were in to see Father, no... Papa, staring at us with so much hope, the gleam of realization at seeing Seth again and his two youngest looking so... so lively again.

I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt.

But it didn't matter.

Everything was fine. Everything will be just fine.

\- It's okay... They are safe, they are not in danger, it's alright to cry and grieve... - A voice whispered unheard.

\- But ya' must keep moving. - Another continued.

\- Never stay still... -

\- Never retreat back ta' how ya' were before... -

\- You are small, young and inexperienced... -

\- But y'a not weak. -

\- You are not helpless. -

\- Ya'll blaze though this world like a match in' da' darkness... -

\- And will light the way into a new golden era. -

\- Because you are ... - Both voices trailed off.

* * *

Slowly but surely a new routine started happening around the house. Takeshi, Chiyo and I were closer, always together whenever neither of us had games, music practices or friends over. His animosity towards Elias seemed curbed but very much still there. For whatever reason she thrived to annoy him and it was hilarious to watch his smile get more and more fixed on his face until his eyes could glare holes through ice.

Seth and Chiyo were also closer, Chiyo trying to regain control of her shadows, the same ones she controlled easily has a baby but lost practice as she stopped using them, it was worrying really. Chiyo was the one most proficient in using these powers, similar to how Marzia had been using them since she was very young, but once she no longer used them they became nothing more than a faint memory.

She was struggling to do some things I had seen her do dozens of times while she had been asleep. Seth wasn't happy either, but his relation with me seemed to have improved... somewhat.

He still tried to scare the soul out of me each morning or around every other corner but he was also very friendly. That or he was plotting my murder every time he suddenly decided to 'snuggle' with me.

Elias had decided to try out her own abilities, not with much results, and I couldn't help as I had no idea of what Chiara had been able to do. Nor had I seen what Nicola had been able to do, and I only knew that Chiyo and shadows went together like milk and cookies.

Taro was still hesitant about trying out to find more about his abilities, preferring to stay with me on the sidelines, tinkering with some bot or another device that sometimes sent sparks or shocks.

My arms were still in casts, going to come out the day after the next, while Chiyo's leg was already good to go, her break was less severe than mine and she didn't get hit by their own super powered lightning. As it was, we were all outside on the backyard, Taro and I sitting on the porch, because it was a fairly nice day outside. Takeshi was still in school and Papa was inside dealing with some sushi delivery orders.

Watching Chiyo glare holes on nearby shadows, trying to get them to move about, and watching Elias think about something she might be able to do, while looking incredibly lost, was not as entertaining as I had hoped it would be.

As it was, the lukewarm weather and lazy clouds were making me sleepy. I faintly wondered if I was going to meet Vasco again (and I still had to think of something to say when I had to spit out that I had found another Storm ((making it only two Storms needing to be found)) and I didn't think that Chiyo will be happy to learn that Elias was winning) since it had been vaguely one week since we met.

I was worried at first, what was going to happen if some mafioso just happened to chance upon him, but I just took a deep breath and focused, trying to put a sound argument against myself before I decided to fully blown panic.

It was something I remembered Asa doing, her memories were slowly but surely mixing with mine, leaving me with a lot of confusing feeling. The most notable was longing and pain. She was hurt that everything happened to her, and longing to see her family again, even if I knew that that was not possible, as I was sure that from wherever she came from, Asa's world was not the same as mine.

And wasn't that weird?

There were different worlds out there. It made me wonder how big the space was, was it even possible to jump from one world to the other? And if so, could everyone do it?

Maybe just a selected few?

"Natsu?" I heard Chiyo call me, making me turn to her.

"What are you thinking? You look lost in thought." She asks.

"I was thinking about the chance to travel between worlds... There has to be others out there, so is it possible to travel there?" I sigh.

She blinks.

"Why would you even be thinking about that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just thinking..." I shrug.

"Don't think too much, your brain will overheat~!" She jokingly said.

"Har-Har... Real funny, Chiyo-tama." I laughed slowly.

"Baka-Sushi!" She turned red at the nickname I gave her.

"Chi-chan~!" I tossed at her.

"Seth, get him! He broke one of the rules!" Chiyo gleefully yelled.

I did?

I saw Seth raise his head high, tongue flickering out, and his eyes gleam.

Oh... I did.

I have no regrets in admitting that I made a run for it.

...

Not that I got very far, mind you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, the two (*) basically go like this: Puto, is like casual slang for a male kid/brat, some might find it offensive since it's like going 'Hey, what's up, brat!' to a random kid on the street, but it's also used to describe younger kids by older kids. For example, every single noisy kid on the bus, more so when they are stupid kids that think that standing up in a bus without holding on to something and wait for it to break only to fall down is, especially, a puto.
> 
> Also, if you remove the 'o' at the end and replace it with an 'a', you'll be saying the word 'bit*h', so I wouldn't advice saying it. Welcome to portuguese language, where a letter change suddenly turns a normal word into swearing.
> 
> The other (*) is placed there because "'tão", is short for 'Então', by shortening it I'm basically writing slang, since no one would use that shortage in a more... less casual conversation. Unless you're a teen/kid, then you're off the hook, elderly might frown down at you and shake their heads at your manners, though.
> 
> And that word Então, literally translates to 'So', like be it a question or a statement. But we also use it to ask what's wrong for example, and my knowledge on english language is vast but I don't know a word that has the same effect so I placed the 'hey' as a substitute.


	30. Part II - Chapter 3

The cold weather was somewhat of a downer in the mornings, the thought of leaving a perfectly warm bed just wasn't pleasant. Takeshi had no problems being up bright and early as long as it was, somehow, baseball-related, me on the other hand had nothing that required me to be up before dawn, so...

"Why did you wake me up so early?" I whined as Papa served breakfast, Chiyo was sitting opposite to me and was passed out with her head on the table.

"Elias' Grandmother called me yesterday to tell me about something that made me very happy." Papa answered with a smile," She told me to get you two ready early today so I could drop you off at your sensei's house before Takeshi's practice."

"We're going to Kazue-san's house? This early?" I whined again.

"Yes, and I have already called her so there's no use trying to talk me out of it." Papa happily hummed as he went about the kitchen.

"Haha! But it isn't very early, there's a boy in the class down the hall from my classroom that wakes up even before the sun is out!" Takeshi laughed.

" _That's_  Ryohei, Natsu's crazed hospital buddy. And he is  _not_  an example people should follow." Chiyo grouched as Papa nudged her awake.

"Now, now Chiyo, that's not very nice of you to say." Papa sighed.

"The truth isn't always very nice. And it's too early for me to care about my manners." Chiyo grumbled, stuffing her mouth with eggs and toast.

"Ladies should always mind their manners." Papa quoted with a small tug on his lips.

The memories of Marzia's temper and the old governess' expression of regret flash inside my mind, my own mouth also turning into a grin when I see Chiyo's look of pure disdain.

"Or I could always take up Elias' mother suggestion of dance classes." Papa laughed a bit, rather evilly in my honest and unbiased opinion.

Chiyo's expression turned into one of horror while Takeshi and I chocked on our eggs.

I wouldn't want to be in Chiyo's shoes if Papa decided to take that suggestion up.

* * *

The rest of the morning when by pretty quickly. Getting dressed was easy as we no longer required help putting clothes on, and Chiyo and I had (finally) reached a truce regarding our socks, so we got to the front door ready to go pretty fast.

Takeshi took longer because he always wanted to walk around the house with his baseball shirt on and would  _always_  promptly forget where he had left it. But after a few minutes he came back, fully dressed and ready to go, with Papa looking slightly teary eyed and vague but not much else.

I guess getting us ready was bringing back memories of Mama, Takeshi looked balanced but I could see his smile was strained, he too saw how much it pained Papa to be alone. How much Mama was missed...

Chiyo and I walked side by side, never leaving Papa and Takeshi out of our sight, and always paying attention to everything around us, never again would we let something get pass us.

The sunlight was faint but it still slightly blinded me from my colorblind side, I tried to keep Chiyo on that side, so I could pay attention to the other, and I knew she'd warn me if I was going to walk into something.

The walk to Kazue-san wasn't half bad, the cold certainly was not pleasant, but I quite enjoyed the time we spent just going down the streets, never even coming close to the under-construction bridge replacement, the memories of that day were still too much to face right away.

And I certainly enjoyed seeing a sleep deprived Kazue-san open her house door to us and glare without any heat at our laughing father, Takeshi looking curious while Chiyo and I hid grins behind our jacket sleeves.

We got to sleep a bit more on her couch, as it was way too early, apparently, for  _her_  to deal with us, the delinquent duo of the neighborhood. It was about ten am when Elias and her Grandma stopped by to pick the two of us up, Takeshi's practice must've been halfway done, and we followed Grandma to the train station.

"Aren't you excited?" Elias asked us all while beaming with energy, her hair had been cut recently into a near bob haircut, which she styled with a black headband. She was wearing a skirt and a thick sweater with a pattern on the middle of it, boots and leggings underneath the skirt.

Her jacket was a deep red, matching her boots perfectly.

"Excited for what? Why are we at a train station?" Chiyo asked with a frown, her morning sleep ruined and her humor certainly showed it.

"For the recital practice, why else! Grandma even got the maestro to agree to have you both play with us as practice for your very first recital!" Elias giggled, spinning in a circle as she talked.

"Recital practice?" I ask confused, my mind not comprehending the information, too muddled with sleep.

"What?" Chiyo echoed.

Elias seemed put off by our lack of enthusiasm but before she could say anything, a train loudly proclaimed it's arrival and we were quickly shuffled into it, getting seats across Grandma and Elias. I watched as the world outside of the train sped past us.

The flash of red and blue lights brought me out of my musing though. It was like time slowed down, allowing me to perfectly see a man in a police outfit place a man inside his car, talking words I couldn't hear, and shaking his head when the other man screamed and spit at his face.

_How_ curious _..._ _That scene looks..._

**Familiar.**

* * *

The night wasn't as cold as it had been during the winter, in fact, the nights could possibly be described as unbearably hot. I had already taken off my shirt and was now sprawled across the cool rooftop of a random building with Pace napping beside me.

The two of us had been together for, at least, half a year, give or take, and I was not regretting having met him. It was interesting how quickly I had started to understand italian once I had someone who repeated sentences back to me and tried to explain everything with gestures and not more complicated words.

Pace certainly had a talent for languages though, having picked up french like a duck took to water.

Not that I was surprised, Pace managed to master anything he put his mind into, be it languages or how to steal without getting noticed. Hell, I had seen him steal a chicken, a frikin' live chicken, right from a hen house with the owner within hearing distance without being found.

It had been magical. It simply should not be possible for a kid to be able to do that. Not that he was much older than me, four years was not a lot, and he acted more childishly than me.

But that was not important right now, what was important was what happened when I was sprawled on that rooftop alongside Pace, in a night that was supposed to be uneventful.

Loud yelling was, surprisingly, not uncommon at night. There were all sorts of people hiding in the shadowy corners and alleys. Pace had warned me about them as soon as he could, always keeping me in his line of sight, no matter what.

"Kids disappear as easily as breathing here, and you look mighty cute, y'a know?" He had told me.

It had left me slightly upset, but that annoyance was erased when I happened to see a man reaching out to try and grab me out of nowhere, only Pace's quick reaction saved me.

I had difficulty falling asleep after that, the panic I had felt when that hand tried to reach me, the inability to move, had left me very wary.

Not that it stopped Pace from waking me up in the early hours in the morning.

But  ** _this_  **night...  _ **This moment right** **here**_ , was something out of history books.

A man was running down the street, like hell hounds were nipping at his feet, when another man, this one dressed in a trench coat and a hat covering his head, showed up from out of the shadows, tripped the man and jumped onto him, beating him quite viciously.

He kept muttering the same word over and over again while he did it, and it took me a while to decipher it.

**Dégoûtant**.

_Disgusting_.

He was calling that man disgusting.

The trench coat man got up, the other unmoving, his hat had been tossed off somewhere allowing his platinum blond hair to sway with the light breeze. I couldn't see his eyes, his head had to be raised for me to see them, but I could imagine to look of disgust they probably had when he took out a pair of handcuffs and arrested the unconscious man.

I never spoke a word all while he made sure he had wasn't leaving anything behind, simply watching, and only when he left did I move from my spot. It was dark, and he looked like he had been in a hurry, so I thought...

_Did he really take everything?_

So, leaving the roof and going to the spot he had been and remembered that he hadn't gone looking for his hat. I could understand his point, though, it would be nearly impossible to find it without any light, but I had to try.

It look me a while, but I managed to find it and go back to the roof without Pace waking up, so used to the yelling during the night, and in the pale moonlight I saw the words written inside the hat.

**Alaude C.**

It was a fedora, a hat many people with money used, and quite popular in Italy apparently.

"Che cosa hai lì?" Pace asked as soon as he opened his eyes, frowning at the hat, and confused by it's appearance. (What do you have there?)

I blinked, not sure what to answer, but then I smiled, holding out the hat for him to reach.

"Un cadeau." I told him. (A gift.)

He gave me a look before sighing and grabbing it, giving me a smirk as he put it on.

_I remember thinking..._

**It looked good on him.**

* * *

The place where the practice session would be held was big. There were people everywhere, at least thirty plus kids were walking around carrying some instrument of some sort. I understood why Elias had her violin with her, and why Grandma was carrying our instruments in a large case, what I didn't understand was the papers that every kid had on the front of their shirts or dresses.

"It's their number, it gets called out when it's their time to be on the stage." Elias answered when I asked. Displaying her given paper clearly on her chest.

Grandma placed mine and Chiyo's on while we were watching the kids around us.

"What do we do on stage?" I heard Chiyo asking quietly.

"You play a song that you learned. After all the kids have went then they call for a group practice, they group you up with other kids and you learn together for a session. After that we have lunch and then we have a final show, with each group playing a song they practiced. The maestro's and instructions here help every group." Elias answered, looking as if she was quoting someone, possibly her grandmother, all while she was beaming.

"Where is ' _here_ '?" I asked.

"Oh? This is a musical school, you might even see some older kids going around the groups, they are students here. Grandma wants me to come here, but I want to be a doctor like my Mom and Dad." Elias said with a giggle.

Both Chiyo and I nodded before going back to seeing our surroundings. We were easily the youngest kids here, with one or two looking at least two years older than us, while the rest was either Elias' age or older.

I couldn't see any students from this school amongst us, though if they were not wearing a uniform any attempt at recognizing them was futile.

There were not a lot of parents here, most adults looked like private tutors than anything else, keeping to the sidelines and letting the children mingle.

"Are you worried?" Elias asked me, intent on seeing through any masks I might put up.

"No." I answer, "I don't really feel as if I have anything to prove. This might even be an interesting experience." I shrug.

"Yeah, this type of meetings don't usually happen, so when they do it's always a big group that gathers here." Elias nods.

"But why does everyone come here?" Chiyo asked, having sat down next to us as we were talking.

"Because, normally, tutors tend to teach you how to play solo. If you ever wanted to play in an orchestra you'll have to have some experience working with groups." Elias answered, "These sessions are made to do exactly that."

"Oh, so that explains why everyone is so tense. They don't seem to be used to be in large groups as this one." Chiyo reasons.

"Ah, no... That's not it." Elias shakes her head, "They are tense because most kids want to continue their schooling here when they are able to, but if they do a bad performance here today... well, it leaves a bad first impression." Elias elaborates.

"That's a bit too much for something so trivial, don't you think?" I ask, surprised.

"Not really, if you give a good performance, the school will try to help you continue your musical schooling. Even getting you more private sessions." Elias answered.

"Hmm..." I hum in response, "I guess I can see your point. But to me it's still a bit too harsh." I reply.

"Yeah, what if you are too nervous and accidentally trip over some scores?" Chiyo agrees.

"That's why Grandma thought it would be good for you two to come with me today." Elias nodded, "If you get used to it now the novelty will fade and you can focus better." She answered.

I was about to say something, ask her if the novelty in playing in front of a crowd was really something you'd want to wear off, when there's this loud announcement of a man calling out a number.

The kid froze for a moment before he grabbed his instrument and walked out of the room awe were in and into another.

"It's starting." Elias said with enthusiasm.

"I can see that." Both Chiyo and I reply at the same time, more interested in the sudden tension that was making the air suffocating.

"Are you alright, dears?" Grandma asked as she leaned down to our level.

"We're okay." I answered.

"We're not scared of anything!" Chiyo boasted with a determined glint in her eyes.

Grandma smiled down at us and hummed, going to a pocket in her jacket and pulling out two charms. I could read the kanji for 'Good Luck' on them, one was blue and the other was a dark pink.

"Elias already has hers, one that I gave her on the day of her first recital, so I decided to get you both one too." She said as she handed them to us.

"Yeah! And they really work!" Elias said as she showed us a worn yellow charm attached to her sweater.

I had to smile at that, reaching out and letting Elias tie our charms to our sweaters, her obvious happiness was refreshing to see.

Elias was like a bright warm ball of energy, always spunky and bubbly, but there were times that her energy seemed to energize us, gave us a 'second wind' of some sort.

"Hey, Elias..." I started, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Hmm? What is it, Natsu?" Elias asked.

"Can I... Can we call you Nee-san?" I asked, my cheeks burning.

Elias freezes, her blue eyes turning wide, a bright yellow shade fluttering over the blue, before her eyes teared up and she smiled, a smile so wide it stretched over her face completely.

"Of course! And I get to call you Imouto and Otouto" She giggled.

"Eh?! Why would I call you Nee-san?!" Chiyo glared without any heat, her 'anger' could easily be seen as fake by Elias and I.

I smiled at them.

_**My two sisters...** _

* * *

It took a while for us to finally be called, the large group of children thinning until less than a third remained.

Elias had already gone ahead, a skip in her steps, brimming with happiness, her Grandma stayed with us since we were younger, but Chiyo had sent Seth with Elias to keep her safe.

_Just in case..._

As it was, when my number was finally called, I was rather bored so it took me a few seconds for it to click inside my mind that it was me.

Grandma got a stage helper to carry my cello up the stage steps for me, since I still couldn't carry it alone, and before I knew it I as standing in front of a crowd. Adults and children alike, all the kids wearing some kind of uniform (I couldn't see any details in the darkened room) while the adults were more formal.

At the sight of me you could see their disappointment, obviously believing me to be an amateur in music.

Internally I grinned, time to show them a "prodigy".

I chose a random song, one of the few Kazue-san had me actually play and not just listen to it. The reason for that being that there were trick scores, mistakes were easy to make and only someone that knew what they were doing could easily brush them off.

I picked up my bow and held the cello with a perfect posture, closed my eyes and breathed in. I closed off any and all sound, focusing only on my heartbeat.

When I opened my eyes again I was standing a top a roof, holding onto a wooden pole to keep myself secure as I looked down at the busy streets.

I could see Nero sitting beside me, munching on some bread as Nico talked about something amazing that he had learned.

I turned back to gaze at Pace.

He was standing upright, an old worn fedora on his head, his eyes were glowing as he smiled amusedly at something in the distance.

A lock of hair that escaped the confines of the hat curled up with static.

This was when he first started learning about his abilities.

There was a commotion on the streets below, a group of thugs started harassing a shop clerk while he was sweeping a few autumn leaves out of the steps of his store.

I sneer at them, feeling powerless as I saw the men start getting physical with the clerk.

I felt Pace grab my shoulder, stilling me in place.

"Non farlo." Was all he said. (Don't.)

I nodded and gave in, tension leaving me. I couldn't do anything to help him.

The man's yelling was drawing attention but no one tried to help him, it made me sick seeing them scared while watching the clerk be beaten.

Then there was this... this shadow that fell upon the thugs. A flash of platinum blond hair swooped across the street and ran straight into them, something solid in his hands as he punched each man unconscious. It was over so quickly it looked like a joke, the blond man had descended onto them like a hellcat, swiftly and painfully turning the situation around.

"Sei agli arresti nel nome della legge." He said to no one in particular, taking out a pair handcuffs from the inside pocket of his trench coat. (You are under arrest in the name of the law.)

"Lo riconosco." I whisper, needlessly afraid that he would hear me. (I recognize him.)

Pace gave me a confused look but didn't say anything.

A group of smartly dressed men flooded the street, grabbing the unconscious thugs and taking them away. The clerk was seen to by a man, clearly knowledgeable about medicine from the way he tended to him, as people suddenly started applauding.

I saw, to a great sense of satisfaction, the blond man sneering at them.

"Dégoûtant..." He seemed to mutter. (Disgusting...)

He swiftly left. obviously detesting the way people were creating a ruckus, especially after they literally left the clerk to his own fate.

As he was leaving, though, he looked up and saw us, seated or standing on the roof, looking dirty and ragged, obviously street rats, and there was this spark in his eyes.

_Nostalgia..._

Had he perhaps been in our situation when he was younger? Had he seen these conflicts happen from the rooftops as we saw them?

Regardless of the true reason, I inclined my head a bit, a show of respect, before I motioned for Nero and Nico to follow me and leave.

_But I never truly forgot that meeting._

The silver blue eyes, sharp as knifes pointed at your throat, the impassive face that screamed "Don't you dare try me" to those who couldn't see past it.

_The way Nero would naturally defer_ to _him, years into the future._

I closed my eyes again, opening them to the sound of applause, all the adults and kids were applauding, clearly impressed, and I smiled 'cutely', getting a few "Aww's" for my act.

A  _lesson_  from Chiyo, "Always play the crowd".

How Chiyo knew or learned this from was beyond me, but I was glad she did. I was grateful for these lessons, they made being overlooked or underestimated by everyone around you that was not specifically looking for you.

How to be invisible or how to make yourself the focus of attention.

I bowed down to the crowd before leaving the stage, a helper carrying my cello down with a 'kind' smile, patting my head as if I was a small dog.

I resisted the urge to frown or say something snappy.

As soon as I left the stage, Elias was hugging me and smiling.

"We could hear you from here! That was amazing, Kazue-san, Takeshi-kun and your Father would be so proud to hear you!" She said.

"And Mama." I added softly.

Elias nodded sadly.

"And Mama."

Before we could say much else we hear Chiyo's number being called, we knew Grandma would enter with her, this time it would be her carrying the harp onto the stage and not a helper. And after the rest of the kids were done with their performances we would be called back inside, onto the stage, and form the groups we'd work with, as Elias had said.

And then we'd have lunch, then practice and the final performance. And then we'd go home.

Suddenly we hear Chiyo start playing the harp, she'd come a long way under the tutelage of Kazue-san, and I couldn't help but feel anticipation for the day we could play on a big stage together.

Her music was soothing, calm, a complete opposite of her usual brash and bossy self, in a way it sounded like a calm ocean. Incredibly easy to dismiss but naturally dangerous.

How easy it was to forget the dangers of a calm ocean, the beings that live within it or just the fact that a human cannot survive adrift for long.

That was how Chiyo played. A melody, soft like feathers, but hiding a steel spine underneath.

It was the song of a mother.

I remember Kazue-san telling us that, the story behind that song. It was a grieving song, something that didn't surprise me by being Chiyo's choice.

This was her playing an Ode to Mama.

The harps cords soon became silent, the last scores fading with an echo, applause broke out and I could imagine Chiyo's smug glint in her eyes while outside looking impassive and just slightly cute.

But don't let her know that last tidbit.

Seth was curled around Elias and I, he hissed in approval as Chiyo and Grandma entered the room sliding across the room to curl around her shoulders instead.

"My, that was brilliant, Chiyo!" Grandma gushed as she placed the harp back in it's casing.

"Yeah, Chiyo and Natsu play really well!" Elias smiled.

I hum as I nod my head.

We hear the next number being called, leaving only a handful of people remaining, so Grandma sat us down in one corner and let everything pass by.

We only had to wait now, ignoring the looks we were getting from the kids and tutors, ones of either amazement or contempt, and soon it would be lunch.

* * *

The groups had been made and I was not happy.

Chiyo, Elias and I were in different groups, something about us needing to work more independently from family and friends, in order to nurture new relationships and stuff, so I was all alone with a group of kids that looked somewhat reluctant to have me there.

But I guess when all the judges are pretty apparent in their favoritism over us (that is, Chiyo and I), I can understand their dislike.

Seth was with Elias, though she had grumbled that she could be by herself well enough, since Chiyo and I had a bit of power that we could somewhat control without causing serious damage.

To us or others, I thought as I stared at the scars on my forearms.

"Those look disgusting." A girl with a pointy nose sneered.

"Yeah, how did you get those?" Another girl questioned with a slightly whining tone.

"I got struck by lightning." I answer.

That  _was_  kind of true.

"Liar. No one can survive that." A boy rolls his eyes.

"Then I guess I am dead." I shrug.

The others turn their noses at me and grumble that they didn't need a little baby like me with them.

But the worse part of all of this was that we had to have lunch with the group, so I couldn't eat with either of my sisters or even Grandma, who was sitting with the rest of the adults.

"Did you see that foreigner? The blond one?" A kid asks.

"Which one? There are two of them now..." Another questions.

I knew at once they were referring to Elias and Chiyo.

"The one with the blue eyes." A girl rolls her eyes.

_Aah..._

"Her name is Elias." I say, annoyed at their words.

"Who cares? She shouldn't be here, neither one should be here, she doesn't belong here."

'Go away, no one wants you here!'

"Yeah, she's a foreigner." A kid laughs.

'Leave her! She's a weirdo!'

"Why should they treat her any different than how they us? She's not special!" A girl says.

'You are not like us. We don't want you here!'

I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, at once they voices grew louder, my eyes blurred, sparks of electricity snapped at my fingertips, unseen by the confused kids, and thunder echoed in my head.

With each heartbeat I heard another rumble, my fury at their words grew like the wind rapidly blowing past the trees, fire flooded my veins.

\- Don't harm them. They are just children. - The wispy voice said, saddened.

"That's not an excuse", I angrily say to myself.

\- No, it's not. But what are you going to do? Hurt them? Kill them? Will that make it better? - The wispy voice reasons.

He was right. I got that, really, I did, but it was so...  _so hard_. I wanted to yell at them to grow up, to tell them how awful those words felt and what those words really did to someone.

But I couldn't. I had to hold my tongue.

I knew that, yet...

Why did the memories have to scream so much? Why did they have to yell at me to make them stop?

Why do they still whisper those awful words?

_Was this really what Asa went through?_

I didn't cry, I didn't scream, I didn't even look at them. I just turned around and walked towards Grandma and silently clutched her shirt.

"Natsushi? What's wrong, dear?" She asked, worried.

"Can we leave?" I asked quietly,"I really don't want to stay here, please?"

She knew I had never pleaded about something before, she knew this was new behavior, so she picked me up, held me close and whispered something soothing to me in swedish.

"Elias! Kom, min kära!" Grandma called out in swedish,"Och föra Chiyo!" (Elias! Come along, dear! / And bring Chiyo!)

Chiyo heard her name and promptly bolted out of her seat and ran towards us.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" She asked me.

I didn't answer, my face buried in the crook of Grandma's neck.

If I were to speak now I would burst into emotion, the claws of rage and fury seemed to scratch at my throat and mind. If I were to let them out, I would lose control and I feared what would happen then.

The director of the school has asked what was wrong but Grandma brushed him off, saying it was nothing to worry his head about.

We were on a train home faster than I thought possible, where before I was clutching Grandma I was now wrapped around Chiyo, Seth curled around the two of us protectively.

I closed my eyes to try and remember when we were just tiny babies, playing and tumbling around the playroom back home, listening to my wind chime chiming osftly in the background.

When we just goofed around and did puzzles.

Those were quiet times...  _Peaceful_  times...

_How I miss them today._

Those long gone days that were considerate the crowning jewel of our childhoods.

_**I wish I could have them back.** _

* * *

Father was home when Grandma called him, he came to pick us up at the station, held me close when I refused to answer why I was upset, and didn't spend much time questioning Grandma to see if she knew the reason.

Elias looked saddened but said nothing other than a soft goodbye.

_I'd have to apologize to her later._

When we got home, Takeshi was playing outside, I could hear his laughter as he tried to rake the fallen leaves as if they were baseballs.

"You want to go outside, Natsu?" Father asks.

I didn't give him time to finish his sentence, I ran towards the dojo, I knew those walls were thicker than the rest of the house, and collapsed to my knees as soon as i entered. Standing in front of me were the swords on display, I screamed.

I allowed my composure to crumble to dust, to let out my anger and frustration, and just I had thought back in the gathering, just to prove myself right, electricity exploded off me.

Flames licked the ground around me, but did not burn anything, and my eye blazed. Colors swirling around me in a tangled mess.

The colorful flames, of a dark purple core that turned blue as it extended outwards ending with static-y green tips, were warm to the touch but also oddly cold.

_Numbing..._

\- Do you see how they glimmer? - The wispy voice asked.

\- Tha' means they'r pure. - The darker whisper explained.

\- Don't taint them with anger. - The first warned.

\- They ain't worth it. - The darker one grumbled.

I knew that. I  **KNEW**  that, but...

" I can't make them stop..." I whimpered, clutching my head.

Phantom words circled around it like a thick cloud of mist that made me unable to see ahead.

Whispers and taunts that haunted me, death could not keep them away, could not make me forget, nor could it end them. The fear, the anger, loneliness and helplessness that those words always brought was something terrifying.

_How can they have so much power over me?_

Why can't I just drown them out?

That is not me anymore so why do I still hear them? Believe them?

Deep down... I can feel myself be smothered in them.

_I can't breathe..._

\- You can breathe, Natsushi. - The wispy one said.

I can't, I whimper inside my thoughts.

The voices are thunderous, the screams unbearable and I momentarily lost myself in the despair.

**_A void._ **

I could see it, so close to me, right beneath my feet. The silence around me was despairing.

I hated the quiet.

Quiet meant  _loss_.

Quiet meant something was  _gone_.

Quiet meant  _ **death**_.

"Natsu?" A voice asked.

_Who was that?_

"Natsu, can you hear me? Natsu!" The voice asked again, louder and more insistent.

_Who was calling me? Who does that voice belong to?_

"Natsu, please, wake up!" A plea and a sob.

_Wake up? Am I asleep? That doesn't sound right..._

"Natsu! Please, Natsu!  _Don't die..._ " The cry tried again.

_Die? Me?_

_I don't want to die. I_ can't _die._

"Please... Natsu...  _Don't leave me too, brother..._" The voice brokenly whispered.

_Leave... Brother? This voice... these words... **Chiyo**?_

_It was Chiyo! It was her that was calling me! Why is she crying!_ She can't be crying!

_Did I fall unconscious? Did I scare her?_

_Did I make her worry...?_

_Leave her? I could never leave her._ WILL  _never leave her!_

_Dark... It's so dark here._ Where am I?

_I can't see a thing._

\- Are you calmer now? Can you see reason? - The lighter voice asked out of nowhere.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

\- Are you calm now? You cannot remain here forever. - The voice repeated itself.

"Did you bring me here? Where is ' _here_ ', anyway?" I ask.

\- This is a space, an empty space, where I reside. In here you can devastate anything you want without consequences outside. - The voice answered.

"Oh... It's quiet." I murmur.

\- It's empty. - The voice replies, something in its tone made me unsure how to take it as.

"Will it ever be full?" I ask it.

\- Perhaps... Only time will tell. - the voice whispered.

"How come?" I ask.

\- It all depends on you in the end. I exist for you, after all, whatever exists here must come from you." The voice answers quietly.

"From... me?" I repeat, confused and feeling my brain a bit sluggishly.

\- Yes. And, so far, all you've given this place is loneliness and despair. Darkness and silence. Pain and cold. - The voice said tonelessly,- Tell me, Temporale, what do you wish to give this place? Think wisely. - The voice warned.

"What I want to give?" I ask.

\- Not want, Temporale. What you  _wish_  to give. - The voice clarified.

"What I wish to give..." I murmur.

It must come from me, so...  _I cannot give something I do not have._  What I wish I could give must be the same of what I wish I had...

_But what_ can _I wish for?_

\- What is your answer, Temporale? - The voice questioned.

"I don't know." I answered.

\- You must want for something. Think, Temporale, and answer! - The voice demanded.

What I wish for the most...

Looking back, my answer was only partially correct. In the long run it would prove to be true, in the long run this desire of mine was echoed by the others. It was a ripple in time and space that echoed endlessly, hoping for that time where it would finally come true.

A desire unspoken but always present, always there with each step we took as we lived, praying that we were taking a step closer to it.

"A second chance." I answer," I wish I could have a second chance."

_To say goodbye._

_To care._

_To love._

_To smile and cry._

_To wish them farewell._

_To dream of a better tomorrow that might never come._

**To see them again...**

\- A good wish to give this place. - The voice said,- But can you give it? Can you work towards a second chance? - The voice asked.

"I don't know." I answered tiredly," Each time I try to stand up, something comes up and knocks me back down or makes me crumble under the pressure."

\- That will always happen, no matter what you do, life is filled with trials that test you, that will make you feel weighted, worthless, but listen, - The voice said,- Stand up now, face these trials now, you have this enormous strength inside you, friends and family who support you, fight now and there will come a time for rest, a time where you'll be able to look back and say 'I did it'. - The voice tried.

"That sounds like a pep talk you'd give an athlete." I sighed," But you're right, as always."

\- Of course. I exist  _solely_  to help and guide you, for whatever path you choose, and to keep you safe.- The voice said.

I filed this information for later, I was too tired to pay much attention to its words now, and simply nodded.

"Can you take me back to the outside? I'm calm now..." I ask," And thank you." I add.

\- No thanks needed, Natsushi. - The voice said, sounding stunned,- Call me whenever you need me, even if my powers are severely weakened outside of your mindscapes for now... - The voice told me.

"I will." I promised.

I could vaguely tell that the voice nodded, when suddenly the void vanished and crumbled with light.

* * *

To say Chiyo was angry with me when I finally woke up again was an understatement. She had been utterly demonic and I found a rather interesting detail regarding Seth.

His  _fangs_... were  **real**.

Papa had been scared (probably terrified internally) when he saw the bite mark on my shoulder. While I was fairly certain that Seth was poisonous all I got from the bite was a very annoyingly itchy rash that I couldn't twist myself enough to scratch.

Really, that had been torturous.

Elias understood the reason I had been sad the other day when I apologized but warned me that she could take care of herself and that she'd keep my butt if I tried that stunt again she would make me wish I had pissed off Chiyo. And I think the unknown about what exactly Elias was capable to do to me was what made me agree very quickly with her agreements.

Because, let's be honest, whatever made Chiyo's temper be preferable over something must be pretty bad.

And in the end I couldn't bring myself to tell her that it was Asa, not her, that I wished I could've helped. That I could somehow stop her memories from continuing to torment me.

That was a week or so ago, and the group was all gathered in my backyard, raking up leaves to make piles to play and jump on, and attempting to use our powers to help us.

Chiyo was focusing on making the shadows around her lift off the ground and push the leaves around, having a minimal success as she became too tired to focus after moving ten or so leaves and having to rest.

Elias was just glaring at the leaves, not really knowing what exactly she could do. While Taro was using a rake to clear the side of the backyard we were not using, I was just sitting on the porch thinking.

My wind chime softly filled the outside with quiet tinkling.

"Taro, why are you not using your powers too?" Chiyo asked," We don't even know what you can do."

"Oh, huh... I don't really want to right now." Taro answered.

"Why not?" Chiyo asked.

"I don't really feel up to it." Taro answered steering off towards a pile of leaves further away from us.

"But shouldn't you find what exactly you can do now?  _While_  it's safe?" Chiyo asked, her tone taking a more -all type of voice.

"I don't even  _know_  what I can do... Who's to say that it's safe?" Taro argued weakly.

"Again, if it's not safe isn't it better to find out now?" Chiyo stated.

"I don't want to right now." Taro edged away again.

"Why not? You can't keep saying that!" Chiyo said.

"I can and I will! I don't want these powers and I don't want to learn how to use them!" Taro finally yelled, dropping the rake that he was holding.

"And you think we did?!" Chiyo yelled back.

"You brag about your powers left and right! You don't dislike them!" Taro argued.

"Because I have them! I have them and I accept that I have them and I will  **NOT**  be ashamed of them as if they were a disease!" Chiyo yelled.

"And I don't! I don't want them! I don't accept them! I am  ** _not_  **like you!" Taro yelled right back, face flushed in anger.

"You are a Storm! You  **ARE**  one of us!" Chiyo stated.

"Guys, calm down! You can't be screaming about this!" Elias said, standing up, looking worryingly around as if expecting the mafia to suddenly barge in.

I was going to place myself between Chiyo and Taro, was already standing right beside Elias and about to take another step forward, when there's this strange haze over my mind.

\- Don't. - A voice whispered in my ear,- They need to solve this between themselves. - The voice explained.

"Elias, don't." I whispered to her, grabbing hold of her wrist when she looked like she was going to physically stop them.

"Natsu!" Elias said, looking stunned.

"They need to sort this alone... Trust me..." I whispered again, the strange haze clouding my normal eye, making me close it.

The colors of the world drained away, Taro's and Chiyo's coloring disappeared entirely, but then I could see something else.

Chiyo had thick tendrils of dark indigo flaming mist around her, I could see her eyes blaze with flames of the same color as the flames, which, looking very closely, had a strikingly lighter purple-ish  **core**.

Taro was different. He had this... mantle of blue water-y flames wrapping around him, like a blanket of rain, but instead of warmth I imagined that the blanket looked awfully cold. _Like a cover made of snow._

The flames were light blue, rippling, but again... its center, its core, was a purple color. It was like the purple was  _feeding_  the flames, making them stronger and bigger.

"I don't want to be a Storm! I want to be normal like my brothers and sister!" Taro yelled, his own eyes blazing, their normal green color fading into an icy blue.

"And you can be like your siblings! Look at Natsu!" Chiyo yelled back, exasperated.

"And  _ **you**_?!" Taro sneers,"  _Where are your parents again?_ "

Chiyo and us stilled, her whole demeanor changed, the air became impossible to breathe, there was just too much tension. It seemed Taro had hit a nerve.

I could see Chiyo's power grow, creating a cocoon around her, the flames flared and they started looking very deadly, sharper and more... twisted.

" _Do. **Not**. Go. There. Rentaro!_ " Chiyo warned, her voice a quiet whisper.

There were alarm bells ringing inside my head, my skin was prickling, and I instinctively pushed Elias behind me, keeping both eyes opened for this.

But apparently Taro didn't hear (or chose to ignore) her warning.

"Oh! That's right! They left you right on his doorstep!" Taro said with a fake laugh," Without a single goodbye to boot! How do you know they didn't leave because of your powers? How do you know if they simply couldn't stand to even look at their freak of a daughter?! Huh?! How can you?!" Taro yelled.

" **RENTARO!** " Chiyo screamed, pure and ravenous fury pouring off her.

This anger caused actual, totally visible to the naked eye, dark indigo flames to burst out around her, taking the shape of enormous snake eyes that looked very similar (if slightly more dangerous and demonic looking) to Seth.

And speaking of Seth... He instantly grew to become taller than Papa (and he is not short) and flames erupted around him like mist, red eyes blazing with flames of the same color as he glared at Taro.

" **Maremoto!** " Chiyo screamed as she threw her hands up. (Tidal Wave!)

It was like the ground exploded outwards, a huge wave of dark purple and indigo glistering sand surged and moved with surprising speed towards Taro, who looked terrified and nowhere near as confident as he had been when he had been shouting at Chiyo.

His green eyes were open so wide, so fearful, and I broke off in a run, regretting the decision to not have stopped them before this happened, the terror of Taro ending up hurt because of my inaction was consuming my mind.

So much so that I almost missed that split second flash of blue flame that warned me to jump backwards and knock Elias to the ground.

" **Scudo di Gelo!** " Taro's yell caused a massive wall of ice to form right in front of him, appearing just as the sand was about to reach for him, and we all thought that that was the end of it but no... (Ice Shield)

There was just so much sand that the wall shattered into tiny fragments of ice, the sound of the breaking ice was startling loud (like breaking glass windows) and we knew that it was just a matter of time before someone saw this. I mean, someone must've seen the gigantic wave of indigo sand and a wall of ice appear on someone's backyard.

"We're screwed..." I murmur.

But after the noise of the wall breaking there was quiet. Chiyo swayed on her feet and Elias had barely any time to grab her before she collapsed. And as soon as she did, all the sand and snakes (apart from Seth) vanished, as if they had never been there, revealing a ruffled Taro with countless scratches and cuts from where the sand and ice had nicked him.

He too was unconscious and as such there was absolutely no ice to be found either, just the fact that the air was much colder than it had been moments ago gave us the proof that there had been a massive wall of ice present.

I rushed to Taro's side, checked for a pulse (and felt so relieved when I saw his pulse was normal, if a bit rushed) that I failed to see the faint outline of a shimmer-y shape floating beside him.

"What is going on here?!" Papa called out, eyes bugged out as he felt the remaining traces of power that still could be felt.

I looked between Chiyo and Taro's prone forms.

"They had an argument?" I said with a weak voice, not really sure how to describe the fight that happened and how it originated.

"This," He said gesturing around the backyard," was an 'argument'?" He repeated.

"Yes..." I sigh, scratching the back of my head.

Papa gave me a look, his eyes unbelieving, when he too sighed.

"I am not even going to try to process this." He shook his head," Elias-chan, could you be a dear and carry Chiyo upstairs, me and Natsu will keep Taro-kun in the playroom for now, lest they wake up together and started 'arguing' again." Father said.

"Hai, Yamamoto-san!" Elias said brightly, even if she too had an unsure smile on her face, evidently shaken from this... event.


	31. Part II - Chapter 4

I was sitting beside the still unconscious Taro and I was quite frankly at a loss of what to do when he woke up.

I  _could_  understand his anger, his fright, and his recurring reluctance to try and figure out how to use his abilities, truly  **I**   **could**   **understand**  him... but, on the other hand, I knew that we (as in  **ALL**  the Storms) could not afford to refuse to learn how to control our abilities, or what they could affect. Taro's ice wall appeared out of nowhere, same as Chiyo's sand, but unlike her power Taro's actually left some residue of existence.

_The air had been cold even after all the ice was gone._

It had existed, and I was sure that there was something the mafia could do to sense this previous existence and somehow follow that residue back to Taro. This was a dangerous game that they were playing, of that I had no doubt.

We were like pieces of chess on a chessboard and, like it or not, we were playing against very dangerous foes. We had to be ready when they eventually found out about us (and there was no doubt in my mind that they would, I wasn't stupid or naïve), and I really could only wish that when they did we would be ready to face them.

I heard a groan but I didn't turn to face him, not sure of what I would feel when I did.

Would I be angry? Sad? Disappointed?

"Huh... What happened?" He groaned as he clutched his head.

"You and Chiyo had a fight." I answered.

"A fight..." He trailed off, surely remembering the giant wave of sand that she sent his way.

"I don't really know what to say to you, Taro, I really don't." I said, almost to myself," I can't exactly reprimand you for your reluctance to learn how to control your abilities, but..." I said before he interrupted.

"I am not like you! I won't learn them! I want to be like...!" He said before I turned to face him and held up a hand.

"You  _will_  let me finish,  _ **Oshiro Rentaro**_. " I said, I felt my eyes blaze and power ripple inside me.

I am the Temporale, like it or not, and this time I had to be the bad guy against my friend.

_I couldn't let this behavior continue... even if I had to make him hate me forever._

"You are a Storm. There's nothing you or I can do to change that." I told him plainly," You are the Tempesta di ghiaccio, the Ice Storm of the Storms, and, just like Chiyo and Elias, you cannot afford to not learn how to control your abilities." I said.

He looked very annoyed but held his tongue, I wasn't done yet.

"If you need someone to be angry at, if you need someone to curse to hell and back because Fate gave you some shitty cards, then be angry at  _ **me**_. Scream my name to the high heavens until you are blue in the face, curse me to eternity, I am the Temporale so I will shoulder your hate and anger if I have to, but I  ** _WILL NOT_**  tolerate your hate for the others." I told him, my eyes alight with anger myself.

"I will gladly have you hate me, have you barely stand my presence, the mere mention of my name, than to one day find you dead or gone by the hands of the mafia because you couldn't protect yourself. Because you couldn't fight back..." I said, my voice trailing off as I remembered that day on the bridge," If you keep refusing to learn about your abilities, one day you will regret it, Taro. You will hate yourself more because of it then you would if you had learned to use them."

"One day, and I hope, I beg, that that day only comes when I am certain that you all can defend yourselves against them, the mafia will show up here. They will not see who you are or what you've done. They will merely see a potential weapon and asset, and you better hope that they find you first and not your family, Taro." I told him with icy eyes and in a harsh tone," Because they will have no regret of harming them to get you to comply to what they want you to do."

"If you cannot, if you refuse, to learn how to control your abilities for the Storms then learn them so you can protect your family!" I yelled at him, staring him straight in the eyes," And on that note, in regard to family, Taro... You will  _never_ , and I really mean  _ **NEVER**_ , mention Chiyo's family to her again, do you hear me?" I said to him.

He nodded, speechless at the pure power that was rolling off me.

"I will tell you the truth about her parents, and you will never even breathe a word about it to no one else, or you're going to wish you were never born, and you will apologize to my sister." I warned.

"When Chiyo was born she already had a bit of control over her abilities, she could shift the shadows in a room. It was not like anything she can do now, but at that time it  _terrified_  me." I smiled without any humor," She was bossy, still is actually, and she always had that temper of hers, but if her parents ever knew about her abilities then they never showed any sign of it." I told him.

"She started coming here, spending whole afternoons  _ **here**  in this_  _very_   _room_ , when we were just a few months old." I said, remembering those times," She learned how to roll over, sit up, crawl and stand up in this very room, with me and Mama." I continued," Do you know what that means? Can you even understand what that means?" I asked him.

He seemed to ponder an answer before shaking his head.

"It means she spent more time her than with her biological family. She only ate breakfast, and sometimes not even that, and dinners, again sometimes not even that, with her family before going to bed. She barely even knew her parents, she rarely played with them or had them hold her, Taro." I answered," And one day, the night of her first birthday, the first time her parents actually took a day off to spend time with her, they leave her at my doorstep with only a letter for her to open when she's eighteen." I told him.

"Can you see how cruel that is? How the knowledge of that hurts her?" I asked," She doesn't have any photographs of them, she literally only has that letter which is hidden somewhere by Papa so Chiyo doesn't attempt to rip it open or read it before time, and I am honestly not even sure if she can remember their faces." I told him.

"You know how we shared a crib for the longest of times?" I asked him and at his nod I continued," She used to fall asleep before me and she used to have nightmares constantly... She cried out in her sleep, called out for her parents, begged them to come back, before going quiet and just silently cry the rest of the night." I told him," Hearing her cries hurt me more than I like to admit, you know why? Because I knew there was nothing I could do to make her pain hurt less."

Taro was looking paler as I went on.

"There was a while when she stopped having nightmares, and we all thought that the nightmares were over, though I believe onii-san is completely oblivious Chiyo ever had them (bless Takeshi for his innocence), until one day, when she was already sleeping in her own room, I heard her crying. In the middle of the night." I told him," I crawled out of bed and silently entered her room, and I barely gave two steps into that room before I froze on the spot."

"She was under the sheets, curled up on the foot of the bed, crying her heart out, begging her parents to come back, pleading to them, crying that she was sorry." I said, my throat clenching at the memory and croaking slightly," Sorry for what I do not know, nor do I have the heart and guts to ask Chiyo, lest I bring back her pain and sorrow."

I noticed that there were tears pooling in Taro's eyes.

"But she moved on. She didn't let her sadness stop her from living, don't misunderstand her parents are still quite the touchy topic around her, one that I am sure she'll never be truly over with, and then... Then the day at the bridge happened, Taro... "Tears formed in my own eyes, my voice raw as I proceeded to bare my heart out to him.

_I_ **needed**   _him to see Chiyo for_  who she was _and not what he thought her to be._

_I_ **needed**   _him to see that he needed, he truly_ needed  _to learn about his powers._

_I needed him to understand the price of being a Storm..._

_**My price for being the Temporale...** _

"Mama died Taro. She died because I couldn't fight back, wasn't ready to fight back and was caught by surprise, Chiyo, for all her power, froze in fear just like I did." I told him," And when I fought back, I was so weak and had no control over my powers that I actually almost killed Chiyo and myself. Do you get that? Our powers are dangerous either way, if you do not control them you will cause more grief for yourself when they eventually slip out of your hand." I warned him," You could hurt someone in your family by accident just because you couldn't control them, just like when you and Chiyo fought... who's to say that you don't accidentally hurt your brother because he pushed you or pressed your buttons?"

Taro turned even paler, tears streamed down his face.

"Do you remember after that... incident, how Chiyo didn't have Seth with her anymore? And how scared she was that she couldn't call him back?" I asked him.

He nodded awkwardly.

"That was my fault." I answered.

His eyes grew wide and there were questions swirling in them.

"I didn't know at the time what being the Temporale meant, Taro, but I do now... And I am sorry. Sorry for the pain that I will undoubtly cause you, merely because you are the Tempesta di ghiaccio of the Storms." I told him with a sob.

"I balance all powers, your powers, Chiyo's, Elias'... (Vasco's...) and I can never tip that balance. Because if I do, if I let that balance crumble into dust, then I will be signing your death sentence." I said," You will self-destruct... Your powers will grow out of control and cause untold chaos, that day on the bridge... That was merely the tip of the iceberg, barely a hiccup of power." I revealed to him.

His eyes shimmered.

"I cannot afford to not be the Temporale, because if I do, then you won't be able to exist, you won't be able to live your lives." I told him," And I, for all that the world could say about me or what you believe me to be, care more about you, your families and my family than the rest of the world and all its possible variations combined."

I took a deed breath before I raised my hand and placed it on his head.

" **I know how you feel** ,  _I know your pain and your deep desire to just be normal_ , but  **we all do**. Chiyo and Elias would wish nothing more than for us to just be friends and live ridiculously cliché lives together." I told him," And for that, I will never bear hate towards you or your decisions, I've already taken so much from you... So much that I'll never be able to make up for, that I'll never be able to atone for..." I smiled sadly at him.

"And even if you hate me, you'll always be my brother... The Storms will always be here for you, they will never betray you or leave you behind. You are loved, no matter if everyone else in the world decides to hate you for what you had no control over." I honestly said to him.

He was silent, crying and bowing his head, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. I was about to remove my hand from his head, leave him in the playroom to have time to think things over, when he finally speaks:

" **I-I'M SO-SORRY!** " He cried out,"  **I-I DI-DIDN-DIDN'T MEAN TO!** " He sobbed.

I blinked before I pulled him closer.

"Shh... Taro, it's okay." I soothed," I now you didn't mean to, it was all just a misunderstanding, emotions bottled up that burst out when you were pressured." I reassured him.

"I'm sorry, Natsu... I'm an awful friend." He cried.

"No, you are not." I hushed him, smiling sadly as I stroked his rat's nest of hair.

Their bright red color was a contrast to his green eyes, but it complimented him. I tried to think of ways to make him stop crying but there was nothing that I could think of.

"I'm not really great at this... Mama had always been the one that could make you feel so much better than what you were feeling when you were sad, how she could make you stop fighting with just a few words and how she easily solved arguments." I softly said, almost to myself, musing as I lost myself in memories.

"She had this... this peaceful aura around her. She made you feel safe, something we all desperately need to feel now and in years to come...  _ **I'm scared.**_ " I said, as I continued stroking his hair," Scared that I'll be too weak to protect you, that I will lose you too, just as I have lost Mama. And I hate feeling this way, this... this trapped."

"But I know that there's nothing I can do now apart from trying to take control of my powers, trying to find all Storms before they find them, wherever they are, and just... take them." I murmured.

Then there was this haze over my mind, I absently slowed down my stroking and rested my chin on his head, both of us curling up around each other, my arm around him, holding him close.

"You are so much like Nicola, I don't think you realize how much yet..." I said quietly," Nico had a big family like yours, two older sisters and an older brother, plus three younger brothers and his mother had a baby sister not too long ago... His older brother had left home to work in a rather distant city, they never really got much news about him and Nico never went looking for him after-... Well, one of his older sisters was about to be married to this nice young man, a baker if I recall correctly and his other sister was soon reaching the same age of marriage."

"His younger brothers were really young, five, three and two if I am not mistaken, so he would soon be the oldest sibling looking after the rest. He loved his little sister dearly too... Nico was always the gentle big brother of the family, even after he joined us, living on the streets amongst filth and the worst kind of human beings." I continued," His father was a very gentle man, kind and caring, but he also had a temper. Normally he'd be really angry at strangers or people who tried harming his family but that day...  _That day Nico was very scared..._ "

* * *

I don't really have much to reveal about Nicola's origins...

His name was Nicola Castro, he was eight years old when his whole life was turned upside down... Well, much more than just turned upside down, really it was torn to shreds.

You see, his family didn't have much money, his father worked in a small woodworking store while his mother worked as at a flower shop, organizing bouquets or trimming and removing dead flowers and leaves. They were happy, though, as happy as they could be with the little they had.

But one day, his father lost his job, thugs and mafia groups that were appearing demanded protection money from the owner so the man had to cut some losses, this included several of his workers. Nico's father was angry. Worried too but mostly angry...

His mother brought it up at dinner one night that they didn't have much money left, it was just a harmless reminder that they needed to find something to help pay the bills... and his father never meant to hurt someone, it was all a misunderstanding.  _An accident_... Just pure reflexes of a worried big brother.

His father had stood up and started shouting at no one in particular, and he had picked up a plate and he threw it at a wall. He was just angry, he wasn't putting his hands or hurting anyone in the family...

Unfortunately the wall he threw the plate at was incidentally the one that Dafne's, Nico's baby sister, cot was placed against. His sister was in her cot, you see, so when the plate was thrown Nico knew immediately that he wouldn't be able to grab it. He knew it was going to shatter and all those sharp fragments would just rain down on his baby sister.

They could cut her or worse... they could really cause damage to the newborn Dafne.

He just reacted. He meant no harm, he meant not to scare his family...  _He_ just _wanted to protect his sister._

He lifted his hand and in a flash the plate shattered against the wall and instead of raining down on his sister, it just harmlessly skimmed over the surface of the ice dome that enveloped the cot, the ice vanishing as soon as the sharp fragments fell to the floor.

Dafne smiled and made soft noises that babies made, blue eyes alight with newborn wonder.

But not everyone in the family was happy or filled with wonder. At that point in time, powers and abilities were not known, they barely were showcased at all, the only people that would come to be known for their usage of flames and the abilities that came with them were the Vongola. But right now, the Vongola was just a small, pityingly small, group of people who fought thugs and tried to help people, not yet realizing they were instead just creating more conflict.

Nico never really told me what was said, unlike Nero who's honesty on the matter shocked me, but I got the gist of it.

His parents had been terrified of him, grabbing all the children and keeping them as far away from Nico as possible (which broke the big gentle heart of Nico, how could a big brother protect his younger siblings if he wasn't even allowed to be near them) and before the night was over Nico was walking aimlessly down darkened streets with only the clothes on his back and a small satchel of break and cheese for the road.

He had been kicked out of the house.  _Left to fend for himself._

He had wandered for weeks until he had stumbled upon Nero, who, after taking one look at Nico's pitying image, took him as a partner in crime and showed him the ropes of being a street rat. Just like Pace had done to me.

It would be two years later that I would stumble upon them by accident after fleeing from a rather pissed off old coot, after stealing a really big loaf of bread, that we met for the first time.

And after two months, my little family of two grew to be a family of four.

And then five after we took in Grazia.

Then six with Marzia.

And finally seven with Chiara, the last member of our family.

Until we joined Giotto's family, and became fourteen in total.

I'll never forget the day though, when Nico and I were walking down the streets, dressed as young sons of rich parents, when he focused on a little girl with light blond hair and big blue eyes, wearing a rather dirty dress with a smudged face.

She had to be seven or so years old, tiny in comparison to Nico's fourteen year old height or my thirteen year old height, and Nico had looked so lost. So despairingly lost that I had walked up to the girl and invited her to have ice-cream with us and go for a walk. The little girl agreed easily, the thought of ice-cream certainly pleasing her.

She had taken to Nicola so easily that it made my heart ache. We spent the whole afternoon together and bought all the flowers she had been selling when looked worried that her mother might be disappointed.

She had smiled and waved goodbye before answering Nicola's quiet answer, only that made him start crying when she had turned around a corner.

"My name is Dafne Castro!"

He had cried the whole way back, starling Ugetsu when we walked through the door, but he wore the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face.

_That had been his baby sister..._

* * *

Taro's family had come to pick him up and I had waved goodbye to him, his eyes were red and his smile was shaky but he looked at peace.

His mother had brought his sister Hotaru along, the one and a half year old was rather giddy to see her brother. She had bright red hair like Taro and green eyes too but her hair was straighter and cut short like Chiyo's, though hers barely touched her chin.

For a fleeting moment I thought I had seen something glow inside her through the corner of my eye before it was gone. I shook my head, the rays of sunshine were muddling my sight.

Elias left not too long after, giving him strict instructions to go talk to Chiyo, as she apparently had been unable to calm her down at all, and ruffled my hair and smiled sadly at my own reddened eyes.

Walking up the stairs I mentally prepared myself to face Chiyo. I wondered what state she would be in, and what I was supposed to do to calm her down until I just decided to throw caution in the wind and just straight walked into her room, not really caring for the glare she sent my way at my unannounced presence, and plopped down beside her on the bed.

"Well, this has certainly been a rather suck-y day, huh?" Was the first thing that popped inside my mind.

She snorted.

"Suck-y is rather a weak adjective, Sushi-chan." She gruffly replied.

Well, at least she's talking.  _That's a good sign._

And if she's using nicknames then that means she's better than what I thought.

"Yeah, but you know Papa would come in blazing if he heard us saying swearwords. That or Takeshi would take it up to him to teach us manners..." I mused aloud.

"So, it's a 'into the pot or into the pan' kind of situation..." Chiyo muttered.

"Kind of." I shrugged.

"Has he left?" Chiyo asked quietly.

"Yes, and so had Elias. It's just the two of us. Or three if you want me to go get Onii-san from the room next door." I told her.

She seemed to think about it for a moment before she nodded, I blinked (Chiyo willingly wanting Takeshi to be near her didn't often happen) before standing up and going next door to grab Takeshi.

He didn't seem to mind having Chiyo and I curled up against him, spending the rest of the afternoon telling us all about baseball and school, then he talked about his friends and what he would do during free periods.

Chiyo must've still been tired because she fell asleep somewhere along Takeshi's speech about the perfect way to hit a spinning ball, not that I was much better having fallen asleep just as Takeshi narrated one of his training sessions with the neighborhood baseball kiddy league.

* * *

I was standing in a clearing inside a deep forest, not the one in the Prairie but somewhere I had never been to before. It was nighttime so I wondered what the hell I was doing here when suddenly a tall figure walks out from forest and into the clearing, it was wearing a black cloak with it's hood up but I could see it's eyes.

They were deep red eyes, glaring at something he was holding in his hands.

He was walking fast, his posture looked somewhat stiff and angry... he was frustrated.

Yeah, that's what he looked like. He looked frustrated.

He walked past me, making it clear that this wasn't a vision, I was invisible, so I followed him. I was my actual height (I couldn't wait to be as tall as Isaia was in his memories) so I was quite short, barely able to keep up with the man under the cloak until he stopped.

**In front of a well.**

Oh no. Oh nononononono... I was not going to walk any closer than this. I was standing slightly beside the man, a few feet away from the well, and to make sure I had a good view of what was going to happen (hopefully there wasn't any creepy ghost living in it) I climbed on top of a rock.

I could see the rim of the well and the man's hands clearly, he was holding a ring. It's metal glinted under the glow of the moon and I could make out the distinct glint of a gem on the ring.

_**A bluish-green gem.** _

I heard the man mutter something but I didn't understand what, he spoke too quietly, and then without any hesitation or any emotion at all, he tossed the ring into the well.

I heard a soft 'plop' sound as it fell into the water.

I turned to stare at the red-eyed man standing there. He gave one last sneer and glare towards the well before turning around and walking away.

I woke up not too long after.

* * *

It has been a week since the argument. Taro hasn't been to our house since and Chiyo refuses to talk about him and gets angry at the mere mention of him. And of course I, who's playing the devil's advocate, has to endure her glares as I try to reason with her that yes, Taro is wrong, that no, he's most certainly gonna apologize to her and that no matter what he's a Storm and our friend.

But Chiyo, being Chiyo, is having none of that so I've been mostly by myself this past week. It's odd not having Chiyo glued to my thigh all the time, she's pestering Takeshi constantly, of course Onii-san (again, bless his patience) doesn't mind it at all. In fact, he's loving the attention.

Not that I blame him, it's nice having family around you all the time.

I was alone in the playroom, sitting by the table doing some old puzzles, when I hear the whispers speak again.

\- Have no worries, they'll both come around. - The wispy voice said.

\- It's nah like they' hav'ta like each other or anythin'. - The other said.

"I'd rather have them hate me than each other." I told them," The Storms must band together no matter what."

\- The Temporale is also a Storm, don't forget that, and he's the most important Storm of all. - The first voice said.

\- You'r da' King! - The other laughed.

"If the mafia comes for any of them, I want them to run to each other, to trust each other, and to rely on one another." I told them," If they cannot get along then that's not gonna happen, I understand that arguments and disagreements happen but Taro's refusal to learn how to control his abilities and mentioning Chiyo's family was lower than a low blow."

\- Anger taints thoughts. Angry thoughts make you impulsive, leading you to act rashly, it clouds judgment. - The first voice explained.

\- Bu' anger can also influence ya' power, fuel it into temporarily growin' stronger, like ya' Sabbia. - The other added.

Remembering Chiyo's wave of sand was breathtaking yet very terrifying at the same time. On one hand it was amazing what she could do, on the other hand if she could do this now, at three years old, what would she be able to do ten or so years from now on?

Chiyo's anger at Taro seemed to have jumpstarted a lot more power into her arsenal, though I was not sure if she could call back that wave of sand on control, since I myself had destroyed that bridge with a single attack yet could not do anything with my powers yet.

They didn't even showed themselves, apart from the cracks of electricity when I am angry, but then again, here they were saying that anger makes our powers escape our control.

Taro, however, wasn't angry when he used his powers for the first time, his anger had gave way to fear.

_He had been terrified..._

"Does fear unlock our powers? Or is it the situation we find ourselves in?" I ask the voices.

\- Storms often awake their powers in moments of extreme stress, not necessarily fear, though yes. Rentaro having awoken his powers due to being frightened is not a bad assumption. - The wispy voice answered.

\- Tho' Storms can unlock their powers at will. They can jus' use them if their emotions are strong enough. - The other added.

"So, what you are saying is, Elias and Vasco will most likely need to go through some pretty hard experience to jumpstart their abilities?" I ask, frowning at the thought of either Elias and Vasco (who was more worrying) having to face something they shouldn't have to.

\- Yes and no. Both Elias and Vasco could discover their abilities solemnly by trying to coax them out, or by having strong enough emotions to cajole them out of them. - The wispy one answered.

\- Bu' ya' might want'a be nearby jus' in case. - The other snickered,- Ya' don' have the best of luck. -

I groan in annoyance at it's reply. Even if it's true, that does little else than to make me more worried.

Looking out for Elias was easy, I could just ask Chiyo to have Seth tail her or something, perhaps put a tracker on her or something (who knew if Chiyo could do that?) but then again, Elias was almost always around us. Soon, after Autumn ended, she'd have winter break from school, so she'd be with her family. It was reassuring that she'd most likely not spend any time alone.

She  _was_  safe.

Or as safe as any of us could be right now.

_What worried me was_ **Vasco** _._

I had spoken to him weeks ago, and I had been too busy or too tired to try and enter the Prairie, and on the days I did he wasn't there. I had no way to contact him, which always made me jump to the worse of conclusions regarding why I couldn't seem to talk to him.

Being captured by the mafia wasn't one of the worst conclusions my mind seemed to pop up with.

\- Do not fret, Temporale, everything will be as it should. - The wispy voice told me calmly.

"That's not as assuring as you might think..." I argue tiredly.

\- Maybe, but there's nothing more I can assure you with. - The wispy voice replied.

I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Hey..." I start, slightly hesitant.

\- What is it? - The wispy voice asked, curious.

"Could you... Could you tell me more about the Storms?" I asked it.

\- What do you wish to know about them? - The voice asked.

...

I pondered my answer, what did I want to learn about the Storms? Remiel had told me a bit about them, and again the memories were the ones that gave me the most information regarding us, so...

What did I most want to know about our powers?

"Where did Storms come from? How did they start to exist? Why are there no more Storms?" I asked in quick succession.

The voice chuckled.

\- Storms' power was born out of a fragment of a larger amount of power. This fragment got loose when the keepers of said larger power fought against each other, by the time that they realized that this fragment had vanished it was already too late to, how do you say it, glue it back together. - The voice started to explain.

\- That power, since it was no longer attached to an energy source, needed to find a host. Someone that would feed that energy and in turn that energy would help the host in any way it could. - The voice continued.

\- Bu' since da' power was so strong, no human could host it without dyin'. - The other voice interrupted,- So it split into seven smaller fragments. - It explained further.

\- Now it was easier for the power to find a host. Originally the power choose at random, Temporales and the rest of the Storms were very mismatched, there were never two Storms the same. Their personalities differed so much that they rarely interacted with one another. - The wispy voice started to explain again.

\- Da' first Temporale ever ta' name an' unity all the other Storms was Isaia. - The other voice said,- He was like da' dawn of a new Era.-

\- The reason for why no more Storms, apart from the original seven, to be created was because they were, essentially, a mistake. - The wispy voice seemed to hesitate,- The Storms were never meant to exist in the first place.-

\- Unlike thos' mafia scum out there, Storms' power comes directly from da' world. They'r forces of nature, born from da' power tha' balances everythin'. - The other voice laughs.

\- Yes, even if the power was cut off from the main source, they are still a part of it. That's what makes Storms so dangerous. - The wispy one said,- They manipulate the world, they can tilt its balance, and they have powers that no one else can recreate on the scale that they can. - The wispy voice told me seriously.

\- If ya' think blowin' up a bridge is hard work, then ya' never saw an Uragano open a rift in da' middle of da' ocean. - The darker one laughs gleefully.

"If they were so powerful... what ended those days of glory?" I asked when they grew quiet," What happened to the Storms? Didn't Isaia create a better future for them?"

The silence grew heavier.

\- That's not a question you want answered just yet. - The wispy voice told me.

\- Ya' better off nah knowin'. - The darker one agreed.

"No! Please, answer! How can I protect them if I don't know how this all started?" I plead with them.

\- Forget it. - The darker one said, growing distant.

\- That question is one that will do more harm than good if answered. - The wispy voice added.

"Please! Just give me a hint! Please!" I pleaded a last time.

The silence was oppressing. Everything was still, nothing could be heard other than my heartbeat.

But then, in a barely audible whisper:

\- What destroyed the Storms was...  _ **Time**_. - The wispy one sighed, it's last words sounded garbled and I had to strain to hear them.

_Time?_

It was Time that destroyed the Storms? But how could Time destroy the Storms?

Maybe a later generation of Storms caused something to go wrong?

Maybe Isaia ran out of time for something and now we are paying the price?

I turned that whisper inside my head countless times before I froze in place.

If Time was what destroyed the Storms...  _Did that mean that we were running out of time?_  That we were dying?

That thought terrified me, and...

_It only raised more questions inside my head._

* * *

This was one of the first times I felt this amazed in my life.

Takeshi had went to practice with the kiddy league and Chiyo decided to go with them, Seth was of course on high alert for anything suspicious as he curled around her shoulders and rested on top of her head.

I was alone in the playroom (again) and I thought Papa was in the kitchen, probably thinking up new recipes, when I hear this 'clak clak' noise from down the hall. I was curious (obviously) so I carefully tip-toed down the hallway and followed the noise to its origin.

The fact that it was coming from the dojo confused me, up until I opened the door...

Father was...  _dancing_.

He glided across the room in a dance of steel. His sword, the one that had always rested above Natsume's, swiped in graceful arches and brought down invisible foes, the 'clak clak' noise came from Father's sandals as he continued with his dance.

I had seen Father chop fish with sword tricks before, but I had never seen my Father with an actual sword in hand.

_He was beyond amazing._

His eyes were only focused on what he was doing, yet I instinctively knew that he was aware of everything that happened around him, and they glinted with a silver edge. Sharp eyes cut through everything, his feet were sure of what they were doing. There was no mistake made as he glided and swept through the room.

I was startled out of my mesmerizing by Father's amused voice.

"Your mother wouldn't have found your wonder for swordplay amusing. She'd cuff me over the head just for allowing you to see this." He said, a bittersweet glow in his eyes.

"Mama didn't want me to know how to wield a sword?" I asked, still kind of faint.

"She wanted her children safe and away from the darker shades of the world we live in, Natsu." Father answered.

I was quiet, my eyes glued to the sword held in his hands. There was this ache inside that somehow begged me to go closer, a yearn to learn how to dance like that.

"Come here, Natsu." Father said, turning around and placing the sword back in its' sheath. Placing it back in the stand before walking towards a box filled with wooden swords.

I obeyed my Father, walking up to him until I was by his side and waited for him to speak again.

"This one will have to do, I'll have to get a lighter one later, I never anticipated you learning the way of the sword this early." Father said, though he added," Even if this gives us more time to go through things slowly, no rushing for you to learn the katas and the forms."

I only nodded, dazed, as I reach out and grab the wooden katana he passed me. It was way shorter than a normal training katana but I could see that if it had been the actual size of it I would've barely been able to lift it up.

As it was, the sword could measure a bit below my chin and it was heavy.

"There's a lead core inside to give it weight, though I know it will be tough for you to wield it with this size, you're going to have to make due with this one." Father explained.

I nodded again, trying to get a comfortable grip on the sword.

"Not like that, come here." Father smiled, crouching down and placing my hands correctly on the handle.

"You have no muscle, so there isn't much I can teach you. For now, let's have you raise and lower the sword until it's natural for you to do so and not as awkward as it is now." Father said," But do not rush, take it easy, you have time."

I wanted to tell him that no, he was wrong, we might not have any time at all, but I merely nodded. Sighed, closed my eyes and breathed in and out slowly. The ache to wield a sword turned it's ugly head around and I blocked everything out around me.

Opening my eyes again, I lifted the sword and brought in down again.

"Place your feet like this." Father said as he adjusted my posture," Keep your back straight."

We spend the rest of the afternoon like this, the fears and worries inside my mind subsided and then faded.

_It was peaceful..._

* * *

It was by the end of the afternoon that Takeshi and Chiyo returned. I had just had a showed and was sitting at the counter of the restaurant as I watched Papa get an order ready. Reason as to why he had not done it earlier was because he prided himself in his food always being served fresh.

The graceful motions of his knife were simplistic to me now that I had seen him dance.

"Tadaima!" Takeshi called out as he entered with Chiyo in tow.

"Okaerinasai." Papa and I replied.

Chiyo looked rather scruffy and I raised an eyebrow at her, to which she turned her face away, though I noticed her cheeks were bright red.

"Aha, otou-san! Chiyo got into a fight today!" Takeshi chirped happily as he started to walk out of the room and up the stairs.

"Heh? Whatever for, Chiyo? That's not like a lady should behave..." Father asked, with a pout.

She refused to answer, running out the room and up the stairs. Seth, though, came to rest beside me, its head in my lap.

"I hope one day, you don't suddenly start walking around with a giant snake curled around you too." Father bemoaned jokingly.

I grinned at him.

"You never know, Papa." I say in a 'cute' chirpy voice.

He amusedly glared at me.

The door of the restaurant opens and I turn to greet the customers, the fact that it's Kyoya and his father doesn't faze me (since they kind of were regular customers here), stopping my petting of Seth just in case they can't see him.

"Irasshai!" I greet.

"Ojamashimasu," Kyoya's father replies," I came to pick up our order."

"Hai, just giving it the finishing touches." Father smiles as he cuts the last of the fish pieces and prepares a few more rolls of sushi.

"Hn." Kyoya grunts as he walks up to me," You look  _different_  today."

I blink at him and grin.

"Papa let me learn how to use a practice sword today." I answered his unspoken question.

"Oh?" There's a new glint in his eyes.

"But I'm only just starting. It's pretty cool though!" I smile as I remember the nicely spent afternoon.

"Hn. Grow stronger, baby carnivore." Kyoya said before turning his back.

"You kind of remind me of someone in one of my dreams." I suddenly say to him.

He minutely turns and looks at me over his shoulder.

"He was really strong and scary, but he wasn't mean to good people, only those that broke the law." I continued, remembering Isaia's memories of Alaude," He was terrifying when he wanted to, though."

I could see the interest in his grey eyes.

"You look alike, though I think he was a foreigner. He didn't look japanese." I frowned as I say the last part, just so I could play the 'dream' card right, I knew that that was no ordinary dream.

"Hn." He grunted before continuing his way back to his father.

_I never saw his sharp smirk and the glint of anticipation swirling inside his eyes._

* * *

Everything was dark. There was a dripping sound that made chills run down my back, not because of the thought of water but because the liquid dripping sounded kind of... thick.

I couldn't see anything, yet I knew I was walking down a narrow corridor, and the only sounds I could hear was my breathing, heartbeat and the dripping.

The floor was cold though, like I was barefoot (not possible since I even went to sleep with socks on) and the tiled floor was wet. But there was no splashing sound so I knew I wasn't going to suddenly fall through the ground and into a pool or something.

This wasn't a memory either, I had started to notice certain disparities between memories and dreams. Normally my dreams were... rather easy on the eyes so to speak. They tended to range from childish desires to more specific topics such as floating food or a world made of candy.

So I ruled this out as a memory and as a dream.

This could be a nightmare... As I thought this I was actually kind of mentally preparing myself for Samael to show up and scare the hell out of me, but there was nothing of the sort, which scared me more to be honest.

Samael is a... complicated person (if he was even a person, though I kind of like Remiel), he likes to scare me or he scares me because he has to (I never figured out which was it) but he also didn't necessarily spend more time making me worry than he did actually scaring me.

If he had wanted to scare me, he would've done so by now. So...

If this was not a memory, a dream or a nightmare... What the hell was this?

The corridor seems to go on endlessly but there's a crack on the wall. A breach, an opening from a not fully closed door, I walked towards it a bit faster than what I walking before and stop before I throw the door open.

There could be two possible outcomes of this:

**a.**  This really is Samael and I'm gonna regret opening this door;

**b.**  I'm about to find something I really have no desire to know about the Storms, probably in the form of a warning by Samael;

I count to three and open the door.

_**This defies all of my expectations.** _

The room is drenched in blood, bodies mutilated and torn apart and discarded uselessly around the room. There's medical supplies and metal cabinets broken and tossed around, glass shards everywhere and tubes (electrical or filled with nauseating-to-look-at-fluids). Their faces are blurred so I can't see no facial features, to me their are simply faceless bodies, but I can see the face of the only standing and still alive person in the room.

He taller than me, taller than Kyoya and Elias, with dark blue hair that's divided in the middle and props up in the back of his head. He had one blue eye, similar to Elias', and one red eye. Instead of a pupil he had the kanji for a number in it, something I found odd.

And remarkably fascinating,  _making me unable to forget it._

He was wearing a white t-shirt with a number tag attached to the breast of it, dark grey shorts and no shoes. In his hand he had the tip of a strange trident.

There were papers strewn across the floor, the white paper wet with blood, something I hadn't taken notice of. And my eyes strangely focused on the logo on top of ever sheet of paper.

It was a simple and almost mechanical logo, the letters thick and easy to read despite the blood, that made my eyes widen and my breath quicken.

**Estraneo Famiglia.**

They were written in letters Asa knew, not the japanese kanji I was learning, making me read and understand it far quicker than if I had to decipher what each kanji meant. This way I knew exactly what I was seeing...

They were dead.  _The Estraneo were dead._

It seemed like a lie, that a mafia famiglia that had, and still did, caused me so much grief to just be dead. I looked up to the boy who seemed to be responsible for this killing, he's distracted, he hasn't even looked at me once, so I was confused whether he could see me or not.

He killed them.

I know I should feel repulsed by the fact that there are dead bodies cruelly ripped apart around me, but knowing it was them...

"Thank you." I say aloud.

He finches and turns around ready to attack only to stop at the sight of me.

"They killed someone precious to me, and tried to harm me and my sister." I told him,"Thank you." I repeated.

His eyes are cold, sharp and untrusting. He doesn't believe me completely.

"I've never seen you before." He says, his voice is somewhat hoarse from disuse.

"I've never been here, I am not truly here at all," I answer, not fearful of him knowing," I think something brought me here to see this, to see them gone." I explained.

"If you are not here, then where are you?" He asked, poking for answers.

" _Home_." I smile sadly at him," And I must return now, so I guess I need to say goodbye."

He frowns.

"Will I ever meet you again?" He asks, there's something odd about him, of that I am sure.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I really do not know. And I will not lie and say we will or that we will not." I answer.

He seems to ponder about something.

"What is your name?" He asks then.

I hesitate.

"My name is Natsushi." I answer," And you?"

He seems to know that I am not lying, and he also notes that I did not say a last name.

"My name is Mukuro." He answers," You are interesting. You have power, I can feel it in your aura, but you do not seem dangerous to me." He says, almost to himself as if he had been wondering aloud.

"I'm quite dangerous, actually." I smile a bit," Though I wouldn't attack you on sight."

"And why not?" He raises an eyebrow," You believe me weak?" He narrows his eyes and growls.

"No." I immediately answer, no hesitation," You are strong, and you will become stronger in time." I tell him.

"Then why?" He asks, suspicious.

"You killed them. You've avenged my precious person when me and my sister could not." I answer," I am grateful to you, Mukuro-san." I say.

He narrows his eyes again.

I believe he was about to say something else but he had no time, I started to quickly become transparent and see-through. I was fading away, leaving this... whatever it was.

" _Sayounara, Mukuro-san._ " My whisper echoes as I fade.

* * *

When I open my eyes the next morning, it's still very early with the sun barely peeking out of the clouds. Remembering what I had witnessed during the night I got up from my bed and breathed in and out.

I wasn't breaking into cold sweat or having a massive panic attack. I was peaceful, calm and quite happy actually. Well rested and... fulfilled.

_They were gone._

That simple phrase, that simple thought made tears spring in my eyes just as I smiled widely. They couldn't hurt anyone else, they wouldn't kill anyone else. For their crimes they had received justice, they had faced a harsher justice than what I had faith they would.

And I was glad for that.

I could close my eyes and say to myself now:

They won't come back for Chiyo, Elias or Taro. They will never find Vasco. Mama has been avenged. I know that they are gone.

_A small part of me healed at that knowledge._

\- You can move on now. You can be sure that there's nothing keeping you back now. - The wispy voice spoke quietly.

My eyes blazed with power, a shimmer deep within them glowing stronger with each passing day, and I nodded.

"We can move on to phase two to finding my center?" I ask needlessly.

I got the faint impression the voice smiled proudly.

\- We can move on to phase two of finding your center. - It answered.


	32. Part II - Chapter 5

Winter was slowly showing itself in Namimori. There hadn't been any snow or hail showers yet but soon.

It was cold outside and rain was a bit frequent, any games Takeshi would play this season would have to be rescheduled unless the coach managed to book a indoor field in a big gymnasium.

Grandma had been over our house to take us to Kazue-san's house to practice our instruments, Papa being busy with the shop, and Takeshi sometimes would come with us too, though he obviously was a bit irked that Elias was always overly friendly with him (which I found hilarious).

Chiyo and I were still not on the best of terms, I still hadn't heard anything about Taro and was worried while Chiyo was 'mad' at me for showing concern for him. No matter how many times I'd told her he was sorry and knew he was wrong to have said that to her.

It was a lovely afternoon, we were coming back from Kazue-san's house when I notice that Elias and Chiyo, who had taken off running as soon as Kazue-san said we could, were gone. I quickly bring Grandma's attention to this all while my heart skips a couple of beats and my mind panics for a moment.

There's this haze, a painful and terrifying haze, that almost takes over me before I put my foot down forcefully and take deep and slow breaths. I calm my heart before I too take off in the direction Chiyo and Elias had ran off to.

Honestly, they were becoming too careless and comfortable with the way things were.

Chiyo had improved a lot with her shadows, being able to materialize a handful of sand at will with a bit of concentration, but Elias still hadn't made any progress at all.

There was absolutely no sign of what her abilities could do (and I hadn't seen any memories of what Chiara could do with her abilities) so I just thought it really would take something rash to jumpstart her abilities.

And that was  _not_  what I wanted to happen.

So I was afraid of the reason why they weren't in sight. Possibilities ranging from normal/common occurrences to arguably not even plausible or possible situations just kept popping up in my thoughts, my legs weren't long enough to allow me to run very fast (though certainly faster than Chiyo, especially when being chased by her) but I wasn't trying to tire myself out by pushing my limits.

Papa had mentioned that I'd need stamina if I wanted to learn how to correctly use a sword so I had been working on that but, I mean, there's only so much a three year old can do to improve its' stamina without attracting attention. Which was a big no-no.

Thankfully they hadn't really been that far from us, just a couple streets away, around a corner that I absently took notice of, strange since I couldn't remember if I had ever seen this street here.

**_Ever._ **

Unfortunately, and what scared me the most about this situation, they were not alone.

A tall man, taller than Papa, with choppy white hair and deep brown eyes hidden behind round glasses in a green kimono seemed to be talking and smiling down at them. In a normal occurrence I might've been put at ease about the normality of the whole situation.

The man  _looked_  harmless.

The man showed  _no signs_  of wanting to harm or endanger either Elias or Chiyo.

The man  _seemed_   _to be_  just any other  _regular_  adult walking down the street.

_**If not the fact that something rippled inside me at the sight of him.** _

Ice filled my veins and a shadow stood before me, unseen by anyone else, and his normally goofy expression of cold disinterest and mocking taunts was grave, hardened and worried.

He spoke only five words:

_**"Do not let him know."** _

Know what? I had tried to ask, but between a blink and the next he was gone as if he had never been there in the first place. I tripped a bit in shock but I didn't fall down, I kept running up to them.

"There you are!" I shouted, relieved and hopefully not worried/tense about the man.

If  _Samael_  of all people came to warn me about anything and didn't even taunt or mocked me for being afraid of something then it was best to just heed his words and wonder why later.

This was a serious matter, no doubt in my mind.

"Ah, Natsu!" Elias jumped at the sound of my voice," What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you! You guys simply vanished, Grandma is not happy with you about that." I grouch, frowning and crossing my arms looking up at Elias and down at Chiyo.

Who, by the looks of it, was embarrassed.

_Odd..._

"What?! Oh no!" Elias' face paled as she realized they'd wandered a bit too far out of sight," We were just talking with mister Kawahira-san, he was just telling us that same thing... not to wander off alone..." Elias trailed off sheepishly.

"Apologize to Grandma later, we have to go! We're going to be late!" I grumble, grabbing Chiyo's hand and begin to pull her away.

"Aah~ I must apologize to the elderly woman too, then! I'm the one that kept them away, after all." The man said with a smile.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and I had to keep myself from flinching by using all the self control I had, his hand felt ice cold, though I noticed that it was just a reaction I had and not his actual hand.

There was this static in my ears whenever he talked, I could understand his words, I could hear what he was saying, but something in my was trying to warn me of something about him.

_Do not let him know..._

Those words rang inside me. Swirling in confusion while I tried to make heads or tails of what it was all about.

_Until..._

"Ah! Kawahira-san! What a weird ring!" Elias said, pointing towards the metal ring he had in his hand, incidentally the hand that he had placed on my shoulder. I looked over to it and had to suppress another flinch.

It was made of metal alright, with metallic tentacles that sprouted from it, and I don't think it was an illusion when it twitched minutely. My eye also captured this indigo glow that it gave. It was significantly toned down but it was obviously there.

_How could the others not sense it?_

Through the corner of my eye I see him narrow his eyes somewhat for a second before he gave an completely fake cheery answer and continued walking with us. As we walked, his hand still on my frikin' shoulder, I start to be able to feel the cold encompassing me fully.

In a way, I was starting to become attuned to his presence. Something I still don't know if it was intensional or not.

_Though I have to be somewhat thankful for it..._

* * *

Grandma was not happy with any of us, Elias and Chiyo had ran off without her and I had left her behind as I ran after the two of them so, when we were 'returned' Grandma made sure we knew we were in big trouble.

Chiyo was silent, oddly quiet in regards to being told she was not being a good girl as she should be (something Chiyo would normally retort she didn't want to be a good girl anyway) and just walked along.

I was worried about her, this behavior was not normal (in Chiyo standards), and so I subtly asked Elias if the man (Kawahira) has said anything to Chiyo, anything at all, but Elias' answer did nothing to stop my worries.

'Oh, he just talked about how the weather was interesting, which was strange for an adult to say, and that he was fascinated that no matter how they differed from one another they always stuck together.'

_Meaning_  he knew about us.

**He knew about the Storms.**

And he had just basically told Chiyo that her anger/dislike towards Taro recently was wrong. And while I may agree with him on that point, I  _also_  need to stress that I only accept this because Storms  **NEED** to stick together.

_Not because one is wrong and the other isn't._

But back on the worrying topic.

_He_ **knew** _._

That man  _knew_  about the  **Storms**. About  **us**.

**_All of us._ **

Had he been watching? Had he seen the sand or felt the presence of the ice?

Had he seen that day on the bridge?

_Was he mafia?_

_That ring certainly gave me the creeps, maybe it was my subconscious warning me to get away?_

_Had Samael_ known  _about his knowledge of us?_

But if so... Then why warn me about not letting him know?

But... Know what? If he already knew about the Storms maybe it was warning me about not letting him know another thing?

Something in particular?

Argh! This is maddening! I can't focus!

There are just too many variables! This is not easy!

Okay, calm down... Keep calm and breathe... The whispers has been telling me to focus on the present, worry later and act fast, okay... What do I need to immediately do?

\- Let Chiyo and Elias promise to never, and I mean  _ **NEVER**_ , frikin run off again.

\- Warn Taro (because he needs to know the cover is off) and Papa (because, hell, he  ** _needs_  **to know this).

\- Elias needs to keep practicing, she can't be helpless if she suddenly finds herself being chased by the mafia.

-  _ **Do**  _ **not**  let Chiyo alone.

Okay... Alright, that's better. I think...

Ugh... My  _head_.

It feels like it's splitting apart. **_This headache is starting to bother me..._**

* * *

The headaches haven't gone away yet and now, a week later, I'm getting worried again. I haven't had any nightmares, yet, hopefully I won't actually, but these headaches are not normal.

The only other time I've had these headaches was before... Before the bridge.

I'm worried. Is this a sign something is going to happen? I've talked with Papa and he tells me everything is okay, that he's (somehow) keeping tabs on the, huh, mafia side of things.

There's no information about any Storm being found. Not even rumors about the weird weather event in Namimori, which had raised Papa's warning flags that something was amiss, but he didn't explain much else about that.

Apparently, no one knew we were here. No information could be found regarding Namimori, it seemed like this town was the safest place for us to be in, though again Papa refused to talk more about.

Which in itself was far from comforting, I mean... How can there be no information regarding our town? Like, none at all?

I remember Taro mentioning his parents also only found out about this town when his father was invited to work here, and had never before even heard of Namimori in any type of media. And if you don't get why that is way too much convenient for us then lets put it in perspective:

\- Someone (Taro and his family are not sure  **WHO**  exactly) invited a seemingly normal family into a town no one apparently knows about, where no information whatsoever gets out regarding internal affairs (such as the bridge incident) and it just so happens that this town already has three resident Storms.

And the family they so conveniently invited? Yup, there's a Storm in it too!

Ding ding ding, to anyone who just thought that this is all too much of a coincidence!

_Because it can't possibly be one._

Coincidences are rare. They are occurrences that fifty percent or so of the time had to be arranged to happen, or they were the result of a lot of luck. Or misfortune, depending on the point of view.

A Storm just casually taking up residence in a town where three other Storms where already living is suspicious.

And more...

What are the chances of  _me_  being born in the  **same**  hospital as  _Chiyo_?  _ **In the same time frame?**_

She's almost a month older than me, but was kept at the hospital for an extended period of time (in which I was conveniently born in) for no apparent reason. She was completely healthy, her mother also, so...

_Why?_

Me meeting Elias on that hallway, out of all the hallways she could've used to reach that office, her father being my personal doctor as well as Chiyo's is also a 'coincidence', and the fact that she reached out to me, disregarding the fact she had no idea of who I was at that time...

It's too much of a coincidence.

No possible way this is fate or destiny or whatever you'd want to call it.

...

This was all orchestrated. It had to be...

But how?

No one can possibly know when and where Storms are going to be born, else they'd sold that knowledge for the highest bidder already, and not just keep them in Namimori hid-...

.

.

.

That's it... That's the reason...

My eyes widen and I bolt up-straight from where I was lying down on my bed, the moon and stars illuminating the room I shared with Takeshi, from the sounds of it he was peacefully slumbering, and the weak night-light that we had was turned on in a corner of the room.

The curtain I had keeping my bed from view created shadows due to the light.

But I was not paying attention right now. My mind was going on overdrive as I came to the startling realization we really were playing as pawns in a bigger game than we'd thought.

The problem was, I was just starting to realize just how big the chessboard actually was.

Someone was searching for the Storms, that much I was sure of, but no one else knew about us.  _Why?_

Because the same person that was (and possibly still is) searching for the Storms is gathering them in here, in Namimori, and his keeping them hidden. He or she is blocking all information regarding Namimori from getting out because if word got out... Then all its efforts for gathering us for his aims were void.

We'd be someone else's pawns, and not his...

But for the life of me I couldn't see why someone would need every single Storm. One is already destructive enough... All seven together?

This person was searching for the literal knights of the Apocalypse... Like it or not, I have to admit, from what Samael and Remiel and the whispers tell me... We are weapons of mass destruction.

Alone we are unconquerable.

Together we are chaos to the most destructive of senses.

_Why?_

**_Why would someone want us all together?_ **

Why not just kidnap us one at a time and brainwash us like most people would do?

Not that I am not grateful he/she hasn't but... It just raises more questions.

_Why?_

...

There's no logical reason why?!

I don't have the answer... I don't KNOW how to look for the answer...

My head... It hurts...

I blink back tears, both of frustration and pain, and let out a pained whimper.

I fall back into my pillow, exhausted both mentally and emotionally.

In all these questions, in all these pondering thoughts and events that come in and out of focus inside my mind, there's only one thing that's clear...

Sooner or later, the Storms are going to face something.

Something I hope we are strong enough to face when that time comes...

Else...

My eyes glaze over, a haze takes over control of me, and my voice echoes in the quiet room.

_**"Else we continue on this endless cycle of vicious hate..."** _

* * *

This was week three after my headaches started. Chiyo still hasn't come around regarding Taro or I, leaving me to either train with Papa in his free time or to just muse about the questions that have been plaguing me since that night.

Takeshi is sort of unaware of this rift between Chiyo and I, for such a brilliant baseball player he sure is clueless at times. Currently both Chiyo and him were out playing with the neighborhood kids at the park, with Papa working the shop and me being bored out of my mind.

I was tired to boot too!

I haven't been sleeping well... No nightmares yet, none at all. My thoughts were simply too loud at times, I couldn't focus. The... I don't even want to call it fear, that's too weak of a word to explain the... excrutiating panic that overtakes me when I start thinking about reasons for gathering us, for keeping us together, for allowing us to know about our abilities.

_Letting us learn how to fight back..._

There's no question in my mind. Whoever it is wants us to know how to fight, how to protect ourselves.

The main problem is...

Who is he/she expecting us to fight  ** _against_**?

My first and only guess was, obviously, the mafia. But then, once again, why?

Why would he/she want us to fight the mafia?

Wouldn't a mafioso want us to be loyal to the mafia and not the other way around?

But...  _What if it wasn't someone in the mafia that was gathering us..._

Urgh! I can't take this anymore!

All these unknown details... Important details! That just won't fit anywhere!

It just doesn't make sense...

\- If it isn't making sense, no matter how much you ponder about it, take a deep breath. - A whisper said.

\- Take a step back, will'ya? - The other quickly huffed in an indignant manner.

\- Focus completely on the task in front of you. - The first one continued.

\- And look a' things inn'a different way. - The other finished, giving me the vague idea it had shrugged its non-existent shoulders.

"Look at things in a different way..." I repeat back to myself.

Sighing, I close my eyes and breathe in and out like Papa had thought me (mostly to work around the panic attacks I had in the past, in case they returned) and after I felt myself float around peacefully inside my mind, I focused on a single detail I particular pondered about.

Why the Storms? Out of all possible mass destructive weapons out there... Why choose the ones that had about fifty percent chances of either, a) growing out of control, b) just not listen or obey to you, or c) simply betray you in the end?

That was one of those things I couldn't get my mind around, I certainly understood the desire of having all seven Storms under your thumb, but... wasn't that just reckless? Wasn't this person dreaming too big?

It was a plan that could backfire rather badly... Especially if all the Storms turned right back at that person and sought revenge or something.

And as I focused on this matter I feel something happen.

Not happen per say, more like... I feel a presence inside me, something waiting to be found, waiting to be called upon...

I 'open' my eyes inward, inside myself, in an impulsive thought that had nudged against my less self-preservative part of my mind and I can't help but stop all that I was doing and stare.

In the endless pitch black environment there's a gigantic ball of light that glows in ethereal power.

A ball of multicolored fire.

There's a dark purple core, it's flames lazily swirling like puffy clouds, that grew restless as it noticed my presence.

Somehow conveying the message that I was encroaching on its territory, and to hurry up and do something.

A flash of something across those flames of purple power gives me shivers...  _ **Pure bloodlust.**_

Around that core, nudging it whenever that flash of bloodlust grew too aggressive, were pure rippling blue flames. It shimmered like water and dripped into the blue core as if... as if it was stabilizing it, somehow.

As I drew closer to the flames they seemed to perk up and happily grow brighter.

A cheerful hello, it seemed to tell me.

But lastly, the tips of crackling green lightning was what drew my attention. They made small sounds of running electricity, and made the hairs on my head and arms stand up, as I stood closer to them. Each tip of the flames excitedly chatted away, jabbering a mile a minute. (Which I noticed with amusement caused the purple to flash darker and darker with each chirpier crackle).

I smiled as I stood next to them. The encompassing power filtered through me and made me breathe easier, made me feel lighter, more... myself, if that made any sense.

_It was like greeting an old friend._

Nostalgic and  _ **freeing**_...

I reached out for it, the scars running down my forearms seemed more prominent as I did so, and my eyes shimmered, a brilliant flame erupting on my forehead, growing bigger and bigger with each step I took to reach it.

It was then the voices started...

_"Are you sure?"_

**_"Reaching for such power..."_ **

_"Like a fool..."_

**_"Do you believe you can control them?"_ **

_"Control so much power?"_

**_"When you, yourself, are so weak?"_ **

_"What are you doing here?"_

**_"Weakling..."_ **

_"Frightened child..."_

**_"Go back to hide under your mothers' skirts..."_ **

_"Aren't you scared, little baby?"_

**_"Of what these powers can do?"_ **

_"How many lives it has took?"_

**_"How many lives_ YOU _'ll take with this power?"_**

_"This is not a toy..."_

**_"Something to be trifled with..."_ **

_"When you play with fire..."_

**_"You best be careful..."_ **

_"Lest you get burned by it."_

They kept going on and on, growing stronger, louder, as I hesitated. My insecurities, my doubts, attacked me without mercy, digging their terrible claws into my mind and in a brief flash of self-depreciation I wondered, once more, to myself:

Why do I hesitate? Why do I always take a step back when I face an obstacle?

_Obstacle...?_

A whisper made itself known near my ear.

\- Obstacles are put in our way to see if what we want is really worth fighting for. - It said, no... It reminded me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Like I dog I gave myself a quick and harsh shake of myself, detaching myself from the doubts plaguing me, and opened my suddenly blazing eyes.

I took a final step towards the flames.

"I am not weak. I am not a child. I am The Temporale of the Storms, and I've got this handled." I smirk, rather cockily in my opinion now, just as I jab my hand towards the pulsing bright flames.

_Honestly?_

I expected my hand to plunge into the purple core, awesome moment of elation as I felt power surging inside me, maybe even a few cool light shows to reveal a new amazing appearance or something. (And I believe I've been spending too much time watching anime with Takeshi)

The reality? What actually happened?

_Was so far off it's not even funny..._

**.**

**.**

**.**

**_It was beyond frightening._ **

Just as I reached out to touch the purple core it suddenly moved apart, like a rip being opened down in the middle of it, revealing a deep burnt orange mass of flames that reached out for me, long strips of flames grabbing onto my arms and reaching for the rest of me.

My legs.

My chest.

My eyes...

It burned. So much so, I screamed so loudly my vocal cords reached a new high pitch.

And when they finally reached my eyes, I was torn, to the most literal sense of the word, apart. Something ripped out of me and something took its place. A dark festering sludge was vaporized and in the void left behind the burning orange created it's niche.

But it was rough.

Too eager...

Too bright...

Too powerful for me to handle quietly.

And just as I was about to lose myself in the pain, I see...

**I see a scene that was straight out of a nightmare.**

_Elias_... sweet and bubbly Elias...  _laying on the ground motionless_ , a crown of  _ **red**  _staining her beautiful blond hair. Her eyes were open, the usual blue color (alway so lively... so bright...) was blank.

**_Lifeless..._ **

She layed there, all alone, one of her shoes missing, the way her arm was positioned made my lungs contract, one of her tiny hands reaching out in vain.

_**It was too late...** _

_Too late... Too late..._

_She was gone... Gone... Gone..._

_**Sweet Elias**_...  _Onee-chan..._

_Big sister Elias..._

**My precious Uragano...**

_**No...** _

**_Oh, please no..._ **

_Not her... Don't take her..._

_**Don't take my Storm away...** _

_Please..._

_Not my **Storms**... Leave them be..._

**_They have suffered for so long... Lost so much already..._ **

_I can't bear to lose them too..._

_**Not again...** _

_**Not ever...** _

_**I'll not lose them again...** _

_I won't allow it..._

**No!**

_' Go save her then, little Temporale.'_Something sighed, _' You are but a flower bud, not yet awakened, not yet blooming, not yet a flower.'_

_' If she is yours then let nothing harm it, protect what is yours.'_ Something growled out.

_' Mah... Fear not, little Temporale, you must remember, you are not alone.'_Something peacefully told me.

_'Break them apart! How dare they! Fight them! Go back to your Storms! Go back home!'_  Something shouted.

**I will...**

**I am not alone. I am not weak. I will protect them. I will not fail... I cannot fail...**

My eyes blazed, flames circling inside them, and I threw my head back and screamed.

The scene around me gave way to light.

* * *

My eyes opened to the ceiling of the playroom. Sweat poured out of my skin, my shirt soaked my hair glued to my head. I shook and trembled, my hear beating thunderously inside my chest and blood pulsed on my ears.

_**Elias...** _

_I had to help her..._

_**I had to save her...** _

I jumped up and ran to the door, I could vaguely sense Elias' presence, several blocks away from my house, and I wasted no time in running towards her direction. I ignored my father's shout to come back and didn't look to see if he had started to run to catch me, even so I sped up, not really taking any chances.

Dread pooled on the pit of my stomach but I did not let it take root in my mind.

I focused.

_Never had I ran so fast in my life, never had I seen the streets just pass me by in a blink of the eye, felt the air rush past me, the adrenaline coursing through me._

My eyes glowed, green crackles of lightning appeared on my fingertips, and, even in the kind of situation this was, I let a smile of pure exhilaration appear on my face.

**_I never felt so alive._ **

But all good things must come to an end.

_And in most of the cases regarding me..._

_It ends rather_ **painfully** _._

I saw Elias, all alone wondering the streets, probably returning home if the route she was taking served me right, and I saw the car coming down the street. A nondescript man behind the wheel, wearing glasses and a white coat, similar to those of Elias' father wore, and I saw the look of hatred in his eyes as he caught sight of Elias.

The traffic lights turned red, Elias went to cross the road, and the man stepped on the pedal, the car sped up...

_**"ELIAS!"** _

**.**

**.**

**.**

* * *

It was like watching a scene playback.

A deja-vu feeling mixed with the familiar sense of pure horror that one can never forget after the first time around.

Tsuyoshi had believed, had honestly believed, that that type of phone call would never ring again in his household.

Not after Mariko... Not after that time...

But how did he regret having believed that now...

He couldn't cry, he had no tears to shed at this moment, and could only stand and stare helplessly as they carried his son, his youngest son, into the ICU.

_Again._

Natsushi was once again on the teeter totter regarding his status of living or dead.

Chiyo and Takeshi were not here, thank Kami, with Kazue-san quickly assuring him she'd pick them up and take them home with her, and only Elias was beside him. Her eyes were filled with the brim with tears and she couldn't stop trembling, crying out that she was sorry, that Natsu couldn't be hurt, that she wanted Natsu...

Tsuyoshi held onto the distraught girl, a girl not much older than his own Takeshi, and he felt his heart break.

Natsushi was too much like Mariko... _Too much like his mother..._

Natsume had never been this self-sacrificing, but Mariko had been.

Natsushi was almost like a perfect copy of her, taking after her in looks as well, which brought another wave of grief down on him.

He was losing Natsushi again. A constant reminder of all the good things and strengths his Mariko had.

_'Please, Kami-sama... Not my son. Not my **Natsushi**...'_

* * *

_**"ELIAS!"** _

My shout reached her, making her turn back and I see her ready to shout something back, but there was no time. The car was too fast, I was not strong enough nor was I able to pull her back safely.

_'Switch.'_

That single word made my eyes glow brighter. Their burnt orange color like the sunset sky.

**_Fading..._ **

**_Fleeting..._ **

**_Never lasting..._ **

I grabbed her arm and pulled her away, all while using the moment to propel me to her place and push her further away from the incoming car.

I had a single second to see her touch the pavement ground to let my eyes close in satisfaction.

_She was safe..._

_**Then pain was all I knew...** _

* * *

Everything was in slow motion. The world became unimportant in face of the event she had just witnessed.

Natsu, the cute cuddly little boy that shyly had asked her if he could call her 'onee-chan', has pulled her back from being hit by a car at the very last second.

_**Taking the hit for himself.** _

The noise that the car hitting him made chilled her to the bone, made all the blood drain from her face, and placed her in a state of shock, only to be snapped out of it when she heard the driver loudly curse and drive away, faster than ever before.

_**Leaving Natsu lying broken on the road.** _

One of his shoes was missing, his arm and shoulder were definitely broken (her Mamma made sure she knew how to identify broken bones in case she ever got hurt and to search for help in such cases) and his face was violently bare.

His eyes were closed, and Elias could not imagine (nor stomach) the thought of them being open and have to stare at two lifeless blue orbs that always looked so kind and so longing.

Elias never told him about that, never found the courage to ask about it either, and now, she realized with a painful jolt in her heart, she might never have the chance to.

She stumbled closer to him, fell to her knees beside him, and her hands shook terribly as she placed them on his neck, her Mamma's words ringing in her ears.

_'Lesson number one, Elias, Always check for a pulse.'_

She held back her tears and sobs as she solely focused on that, all while her heart deeply begged every single deity out there for him to still be alive, and broke into relieved shudders when she found one.

_**Weak but it was still there.** _

_'He's alive'._

\- Aah, but for how long? - A distant voice asked.

Such was her panic at those words, which held more truth than she'd want to think about, Elias didn't even question where that voice came from.

_'I don't know... His wounds, apart from his arm and shoulder, must all be internal!'_  She realized with horror.

\- Calm yourself! And you wish to be a doctor? You wish to save people when there's someone right here who needs you and your first reaction is to panic? - The voice reprimands harshly.

_'I'm sorry... But what can I do? I'm weak... I don't have any abilities... I can't do anything... Natsu... I can't help him...'_  She thought with misery encroaching her stomach.

\- Lies! No Lady of mine will ever call herself weak! And no Lady of mine will foolishly say she can't help someone! - The voice yelled angrily.

_'But it's true!'_  Elias cried out.

\- It is all a lie! And I will show it to you, m'Lady... - The voice snapped.

_'How will you show me that?'_  She asked.

\- Listen to my words carefully, m'Lady, and place both your hands on your King. - The voice instructed.

Elias did so, carefully placing her hands on his chest, his terribly small chest, and waited.

\- Drive all thoughts out of your head, quickly!, and listen only to my voice. Focus only on me, m'Lady. - The voice told her.

Closing her eyes, Elias cleared her head, a bit hard due to the situation but her Mamma had thought her a simple and easy way to do it, (Lesson number two, Elias, A Doctor must always be calm!), and trusted the voice with her sole focus.

\- Now, m'Lady, you must think, you must believe, you must wish with all your might, will and determination, 'I want to heal him'. - The voice said.

Elias wanted to retort but bit her tongue. Nodded and focus once more.

**_And wished..._ **

**Begged...**

_**Willed it so...** _

"I want to heal him... I want his wounds to be gone... I want Natsu to be okay... I want him to wake up!" She cried out.

A surge of glistering yellow flames surrounded the two of them, flames pulsing around her hands (but never touching her skin) and the smell of spring filled the air.

_**Elias own eyes, ones of a simple and clear blue color, blazed the same yellow color.** _

A groan caught her attention, breaking her focus and causing the yellow flames to vanish without a trace, leaving her very exhausted.

She looked to his face, startled to find herself gazing deeply into hazy and confused blue orbs that held a few traces of pain in them.

Elias was about to say something when a scream cut her off. A group of women saw Natsu and made the obvious connection of what had happened and immediately dialed 119 to call for an ambulance.

A woman came to stand beside Elias and ask her about what happened.

Elias answered to the best of her ability before she realized Natsu was going to get help and broke down crying, mentally and physically exhausted beyond her mind at what she had just went through.

She never noticed Natsu muttering four words before falling unconscious again:

_"I can hear bees..."_

* * *

He was back to sitting beside a hospital bed, watching as his youngest slept there, covered in thick bandages with machines connected to him to monitor him through the night.

_'It could be a lot worse, your son is lucky he was only hit by the corner of that car, most likely, since otherwise he would've died shortly after.'_  The doctor had told him.

Lucky... Natsushi was anything but lucky, Tsuyoshi thought resignedly, with everything that happens around him I question the reason as to why I never tried to lock him up, hidden away, together with Chiyo.

Oh, those two will be so worried about him... How will I tell them their brother has landed himself back into a hospital, a few months after he was discharged from the very same he is in now...

And it was then the answer to his previous question made itself known.

Elias' parents walked into the room, worried out of their minds, and visibly lost all the tension in their bodies when they saw Elias sleeping in Tsuyoshis' shoulders, only for their eyes to widen when they see Natsu.

Both start to babble apologies in swedish and norwegian and japanese immediately but Tsuyoshi waves them away. Passing a sleeping Elias to her father, he offered heartfelt words:

"My son saved your daughter no matter the cost to himself, there are no apologies needed, for my son would do it over and over again in the blink of an eye if it meant your daughter was safe." He smiled, knowing that was why locking him up would never work," Natsushi would never forgive himself if he had stood there and did nothing. My son is too much like my wife in that regard."

Elias' parents stood there for a second before embracing him.

"For what your son has done, our door will always be open for your family. We owe you our lives, for our daughter is our world. Thank you." Elias' mother told him, tears in her eyes.

Tsuyoshi nodded, and after a few more words he silently watched them leave.

He gazed back to him slumbering son.

"Please wake up soon, Natsu." He said quietly," There are many people who want to see you smile again."

Tears well up in his eyes, never falling.

_**"Your time has not yet come. Your Storms still need you."** _

* * *

I empty void I had talked to the whispers in.

But now I saw a major difference from before. A single bright dot of light existed well above my head.

_A star?_

-  **A promise kept.**  - A whisper answered.

-  **A wish fulfilled.**  - The other added.

"A promise kept... A wish fulfilled..." I mutter to myself, confused.

\- What promise did you make? - The whisper asked.

\- Wha' wish yo' want'd ta' accomplish? - The other questioned.

It hit me quickly after that.

_**Elias!** _

So... That meant...

"I did it... She's  _safe_..." I slumped down to the ground, my heart lighter again.

I hear twin chuckles and I glare without any heat at the void.

"Can I know your names now? Or will we continue with this 'Thing One' and 'Thing Two' kind of deal?" I ask.

Another round of chuckles.

\- Ya' not ready ta' learn mah' name, King. - The Other answered.

\- As for me... My name is  **ਅਜ਼ਰੀੇਲ** , Temporale. - The whisper answered.

"That sounded like gibberish to me!" I complained.

A tingling laughter was my response.

\- You'll understand it soon enough, but now is not the time, Temporale. - The whisper answered.

\- Bye Bye~! - The Other cheerfully said.

\- Farewell, Natsushi. Until we meet again. - The whisper said.

Before I get another word in, light fills my sight and breaks my surroundings away.


	33. Part II - Chapter 6

I blink away the black dots from my sight, the sunny sky above me was glaring right down at me and I was temporarily blinded and defenseless from the sudden tackle I received the moment I completely physically manifested.

The squeak that escaped me was mortifying.

"Ah! Há tanto tempo que não te via! Nunca mais apareceste aqui! 'Tava preocupado contigo, idiota!" The happy voice of Vasco greets my ears like water to a parched throat. (Ah! Haven't seen you in so long! You never showed up here anymore! I was worried about you, idiot! ***** )

"Eh?" I rub my eyes and cock my head to the side as I look confusedly at the overly bright and happy nine year old. I hadn't understood a word he'd just spoken.

"Eu apareci aqui todos os dias mas nunca te via! Eu até cheguei a entrar naquela florest bué assustadora ali mas não havia lá nada, o que achei muito estranho, mas, tipo, onde estiveste?!" Vasco blabbered in a surprisingly fast paced manner that left me stumped. (I showed up here/came here every day but never saw you! I even entered that really creepy forest over there but there wasn't anything there, which I found really odd, but, like, where were you?!)

I sensed a headache coming, Vasco obviously was trying to tell/ask me something but a. I couldn't understand a word and b. He had no indoor voice. But I didn't mind much right now, seeing him acting like an over energetic puppy (who was taller than me by a good two or three heads) was refreshing.

"I still can't understand you, your language sounds really funny and your words make no sense whatsoever." I sigh, trying (in vain) to get him off me.

I hear him laugh and look up to see him scratch the back of his head, messing up his brown hair, and I notice, for the first time, that he has a rather big bruise on his cheek and his eye looks a bit swollen.

"Esqueci-me que tu e eu não falamos a mesma língua..." He grins. (I forgot you and I don't speak the same language.)

"What happened to your face?!" I ask, worried, and lightly touch the bruised face, only for him to flinch and grimace at my action.

I snap my hand back as if burned.

_He's hurt._

"Ahah... Notaste?" He asks. (You noticed?)

I just keep looking worriedly up at him. Not sure how to answer to the question/response he gave me.

"Eu... caí?... Ya', eu 'tava a andar por aí e caí." He says, hesitating slightly before keep going. (I... fell? Yeah, I was walking around and I fell.)

**Lie.**

_He was lying._

That's what my mind whispered to me, causing barbed wire to snuggly find some space in my throat. I wanted to make him tell me the truth about what had really happened but saw that that would be pointless.

If I did that, there would be nothing I could do, with him being halfway across the world from me.

And if I did that then Vasco would be angry or upset with me poking my nose into matters that he probably didn't want me poking into.

"Hmm... Just... Promise me you'll call for help if you need it?" I sighed.

Vasco smiled in return, tilting his head confusedly, and said something I didn't quite catch.

I sighed again and decided to let the matter drop, relaxing under the sunny weather of the Prairie, the wind rustling the tree leaves was warm and the grass beneath me soft.

There's not really much that could be said, between the two of us there were only so many words that we both understood (usually with the help of wild gestures) that could be used to conduct a proper conversation.

I got the faint vein of nostalgia over this situation, Isaia and Pace both had a handful of scuffles between the two due to either one getting the wrong idea while gesturing to the other or simply not understanding the in-context of the conversation.

Of course, nothing we could possibly misunderstand would ever be as chaotic or embarrassing as when Pace misunderstood Isaia's request of food by him requesting a hug.

_Isaia had been pissed off..._

He certainly got more fond of touch as he grew older and more used to Pace's and the others' presence and closer to them as a whole, along with Vongola too, but in his early youth? Isaia despised people casually get closer to him, grab him or simply reach for him. It had its ups and downs over the years, reaching a whole new level of low when he witnessed that night in the alley.

Pace helped him slowly get over the shock and trauma of it, but there were some instinctive reactions that never quite left. The visibly tense and guarded icy sea-blue eyes being one of them, something Isaia himself acknowledged as a sore point to his self-control.

The youthful innocence, as rare as it had been at that time, had been ripped off him and the scars were beared on his personality.

Would this situation leave scars on the others as well? The realization that they would be hunted down and scorned as monsters if they were ever found, would it scar their personalities?

_I already knew the answer..._  As scary and hopelessly  ** _hollow_  **as it was.

**Yes, it will scar them.** _Can't you see?_

**In fact, it already has...**

Chiyo's apprehension and suspicion of everyone and everything, her drive to learn how to be stronger and protect her family. The other two would soon bear similar reactions as well... If I put my mind to it, I could already see them.

Elias' sudden fright of strangers and caution actions around people, the fight or flight reaction to loud or sudden sounds.

Taro's distrustful hesitation to believe someone would taint his naturally welcoming (if slightly awkward) nature and there were a lot of small hints that told me he was expecting something bad to happen at any moment.

This situation was  _ **already**  _changing them.  _Breaking them like glass._

_**Their reflection a shattered mirror.** _

That mental picture made Asa's lifeless eyes sneak into the forefront of my mind. A shiver ran down my spine and made me tightly hold Vasco's hand in reflex.

**I wasn't going to let that happen.**

_Not again._

**Not _ever_!**

"Natsu?" Vasco quietly called me,"'Tás bem?" (Are you okay?)

I looked up at him, his brown hair was windswept and his tanned skin was still bruised but his caramel brown eyes shimmered green and a wave of peaceful bliss washed over me, damping my sorrowful mood.

"Hey, Vasco... Would you ever hate me for bringing you danger?" I asked him," Being around me is bound to make you awaken your abilities faster, since I'm a trouble magnet and all that..."

Vasco blinks and looks down at me, not understanding a word I had just spoken, but caught up in my mood and casually slung an arm around my shoulders.

" ** _Nunca_**." He said, his eyes blazing fiercely, with a smile. (Never.)

* * *

A rush of emotions blaze to life inside my and I am blinded by the memory of Isaia sitting atop a chimney looking down on the darkened and sleeping town that expanded to the horizon. A river in the distance reflected to waning moon, its light shimmering like stars on the water.

"Che cosa ci fai qui, così di sera tardi?" Pace's voice made me turn to him and see his concerned green eyes, his ever present hat lazily sat on his messy brown hair. (What are you doing here, so late at night?)

"Pensando." I replied. (Thinking.)

"Di?" Pace asked, walking closer to me. (About?)

"Dove andare da qui." I answered. (Where to go from here.)

"Dovrebbe voi non essere guardando un mappa per decidere che?" Pace asked again, this time stopping right below the chimney I sat on. (Should you not be looking at a map to decide that?)

"Un mappa non farebbe molto bene." I answered. (A map would not do much good.)

"Perchè no?" Pace asked. (Why not?)

"Non è la distanza o la città che mi preoccupa." I answered him, rubbing tiredly at my eyes," Ma quello che troviamo.". (It is not the distance or the town I am worried about./But what we will find.)

Pace jumped up to the chimney and sat down beside me.

"Avete sentito qualcosa?" Pace asked, worried. (Did you hear anything?)

"Un nuovo gruppo si sta espandendo." I answered in a quiet voice. (A new group is expanding.)

"È brutto?" Pace questioned. (Is it bad?)

"Chi lo sa?" I answered tiredly. (Who knows?)

We grew quiet, watching the waning moon slowly vanish from sight and the sun start to peek over the horizon. And when it did I broke the silence between us with words that stilled the air and made Pace's eyes flash violently into a darker shade of green.

" _Una guerra arriva, Pace._ " I solemnly say, my eyes blazing a fiercely in anger. (A war is coming, Pace.)

"Cosa faremo?" Pace asked me, his grip on the brick chimney tightening. (What will we do?)

" **Sopravvivere**." I told him," Non c'è niente più che possiamo fare ma quello.". (Survive./There is nothing more we can do but that.)

"Sai che ti seguiremo." Pace said, his eyes trained on me. (You know we will follow you.)

"Hmm." I smiled sadly," Lo so." (I know.)

"Sempre." Pace told me. (Always.)

"Non sarete mai lasciare me?" I smiled, my eyes focusing on his deep green ones,"  _Nemmeno quando la morte viene a separarci?_ "(You will never leave me?/Not even when death comes to tear us apart?)

I saw his eyes turn dangerously dark and his smile to turn into something so hopelessly empty that made my gut lurch.

" _ **Mai**_." He spoke. (Never.)

* * *

I smiled and buried my face in his chest, the scent of  _daffodils_  met my nose, and I cried.

It would all be alright. _I would _ **not**   _lose them._

_The scars would remain but they will not bleed._

**They will heal.**

_And we will live..._

- **We will not give up our dream**. -

_We are still fighting..._

In all this I missed an important event.

A hazy shadow flickered to life above Vasco's right shoulder.

* * *

\- Did you see it? - A voice whispered quietly.

\- Yes... It is growing stronger everyday. - Another replied back, just as quietly.

\- An' ain' tha' so precious? - A different one crackled.

\- Be quiet. You never know when it can hear you. - The first one hissed.

\- Yes... It is near. - A quiet one whispered.

* * *

My awakening was rather anti-climatic.

Unlike the other times I had woken up shaken up and severely confused and distressed, this time I was woken up by my own rumbling stomach. A nurse nearby heard it and opened the door to my hospital room to see what that noise had been (to my mortification) and had got quite the shock of her life to see me, the three year old who had been ran over and in a coma for little over a week, wide awake and looking around curiously.

In the blink of an eye I was surrounded my doctors and being poked and prodded to see if I had a clean bill of health. I had to stifle a sigh when a doctor promptly said they should run a few scans to see if there were any fractures on me that still hadn't healed.

The worst part, of course, is that you can't eat before you have them so I had to wait another hour or so until I could finally eat. And then, of course, fate hates me, the hospital food tasted gross and Papa barged in with a ashen looking Takeshi and an equally pale Chiyo.

I just couldn't get a break, I moaned in my head, mentally breaking down and crying in a corner.

"NATSU!" Takeshi and Chiyo shouted when they saw me.

"...Hai?" I replied back.

"Haha, see kiddies? I told you your otouto would be alright!" Papa laughed, internally relieved I had woken up.

"What did I tell you about cars! You're not supposed to go towards them!" Chiyo yelled, gripping my shirt and shaking me weakly.

"Hai, understood." I said without pause.

"Don't 'Hai, understood' me! You could've been killed!" She shook me harder.

"Hai." I sighed.

"Haha, Chiyo-chan, I don't think you're suppose to shake someone who is still healing." Takeshi laughed.

"Takeshi! Don't excuse him!" Chiyo shouted.

"Aha, I'm not excusing him, Chiyo-chan..." Takeshi smiled serenely before his eyes flashed with an intense amount of killing intent, stilling both Chiyo and I in place," Natsu won't be getting into trouble any time soon,  _will you_  my cute otouto?" He continued to smile, showing just a bit too much teeth.

" **HAI!** " I squeaked," I won't go look for trouble!" (Trouble always found me anyway...)

_How wrong was I..._

Takeshi smiled and nodded, turning around and go talk with Papa about something.

"That was scary..." Chiyo whispered.

"Yep." I sighed.

**...**

A beat of silence.

" **He looked so cool...** " Chiyo said in awe.

I moaned in despair.

Great, just what I needed. An awe-struck Chiyo regarding Takeshi's latent and hidden sadistic side.

I was going to die sooner or later, no way I was going to survive the madness that is my life.

\- You love it, admit it. - A whisper laughed.

I hid a rueful smile behind an arm.

_Perhaps..._

* * *

Oh, Gods... I had almost forgot about this...

Sitting on my bed staring at Chiyo glaring at the nervous and shy Taro that sat across the room, sitting opposite to Chiyo who sat at my right, I had to stifle another sigh. My tenth in the past half hour that this staring contest had started.

_Time to break this up._

"Will you to make up already!? I will not have you both glaring at each other when you both know you should let bygones be bygones!" I yelled, temper flaring.

"He started this! Did you hit your head and forget what he did?!" Chiyo shrieked.

"I did hit my head but I didn't forget! And I have already told you many times before, he knows he did wrong! He apologized!" I shouted back.

"Not to me he hasn't!" Chiyo yelled back.

"Because you refuse to even hear him out!" I kept matching her tone.

"Why should I hear what he has to say after he told me?!" Chiyo shouted.

"Because I will not stand for this for even another minute, you either hear him out or leave this room and we'll see each other again when I get back home!" I yelled.

The whole room grew quiet.

"I...  _leave_?" Chiyo started at my with wide shocked eyes.

"Yes. Chiyo, you are my sister in all but blood but I will not,  _ **cannot**_ , let your and Taro's feud dictate the Storms coexistence." I sighed," We are all Storms, we will fight each other occasionally like all families do but we cannot let those fights divide us." I told her.

Chiyo's eyes filled with tears and she bowed her head.

"Let's hear him then." She hollow-y consented.

Taro stilled for a moment before I nodded at him.

He took a deep breath.

"I-I'm sorry. For telling you all that." He started," I was wrong to say those things. I didn't know anything and it was wrong."

He shifted in his seat, unsure of how to apologize.

"I was scared." He finally said," I was scared of never being like my brothers and my sister and I feared what my family would do if they found out (still do, actually) but I didn't realize that everyone else also had this fear."

"I didn't even try to see your side of things. And that makes me feel so stupid, I didn't even take into account how you and Natsu met or how you already lost your mom... I was stupid... So... I'm sorry." He said, bowing his head, tears spilling from his eyes.

I turn to face Chiyo, it was her who had to accept the apology, and I was secretly proud of the fact that she was staring amazed at Taro. Respect for him blossomed in her eyes and she shook herself before speaking, keeping her emotions under control.

_A firm mask that Chiyo wore like a glove._

"Apology accepted." She said," Just do not dare to do it again,  _ **Baka-Taro**_."

Taro's head snapped up and he stared wide-eyed at Chiyo before a beaming smile split his face.

"Hai, Chiyo-chan!" He said.

A tic mark showed on her temple and she threw a book (where she got it from is lost on me) straight at him.

"Do not be so familiar with me!" She yelled.

"Hiee!" Taro squeaked as he fell off his chair, diving for cover.

"Aha~ You guys are so much troublesome than Vasco..." I muttered before I clamped a hand over my mouth.

Two pairs of eyes stared at me.

"Vasco?" Chiyo questioned.

**_Oh no..._ **

_**I forgot I** _ **hadn't told them** _**yet...** _

I hesitantly grimaced.

"Hehe... It's a long story?" I tried.

Chiyo's non-impressed glared made me shrink down on the hospital bed.

_I was so doomed._

* * *

_The first to apologize is the bravest._

_The first to forgive is the strongest._

* * *

"Let me get this straight, Natsu..." Chiyo started," You met another Storm?"

"Yeah..." I weakly answered.

"And you've been talking to him for months now?" Chiyo asked again.

"On and off, yeah..." I answered with a shrug of my shoulders.

"And you didn't tell us about him because...?" Chiyo asked.

**...**

"You were busy?" I tried.

"Yamamoto Natsushi, you dared to keep this a secret?!" Chiyo shrieked and brought down a book on the top of my head.

I winced.

"Gomenasai..." I tearfully rubbed the bump on my head.

"You better be..." She muttered.

"And what does he look like?" Taro asked, fascinated by the whole thing.

Now that I think about it, it's been a while since we all met inside the Prairie.

"Maybe you can all meet him, next time we go into the Prairie." I said.

They didn't reply but I could see they were pleased with that solution.

"But this is troublesome..." Chiyo added.

"What is?" Taro asked.

"His current location... How are we gonna get him here?" Chiyo asked me.

"Bring him here?" I asked, confused.

"Well, yes! You aren't going to tell me you're going to leave him all by himself in another country to be found by who-knows-who?" Chiyo stated.

"Chiyo, we can't just go to another country and basically kidnap someone! How would we bring him here without anyone knowing?" I asked, trying to reason with her.

"We could borrow a plane?" Chiyo suggested.

I stare at her.

"And crash us somewhere over the atlantic? No thank you." I deadpan.

I see Taro nod extremely fast in agreement.

"Hey, you don't know! I might be an excellent pilot!" Chiyo argued.

"And until I have proof that that is correct we'll put that plan on the 'Maybe-when-we-lose-our-remaining-sanity' idea box pile." I tell her.

"Party-crasher." She sulked.

"Love you too, Chiyo." I reply.

* * *

A few weeks have gone by, I am back home and life has been good.

Winter is dead set to stay here in Namimori and the weather has been growing colder and colder with each passing day. Soon snow will start falling and then Elias' birthday would be near.

I had to think of something to give her, turning eight years old was important. She was going to start third year, another petal on her school emblem. Takeshi was going to start his second school year and Taro, Chiyo and I would join the third year pre-school class as per the teachers' suggestion.

But that was only in April. Still so much time until then...

On a brighter note, Elias was improving greatly on controlling her power, which was nice because Chiyo had started to experiment with her sand and half of the time she was tossed around like a rag-doll by some sort of backlash.

Taro had been terrified of letting her train alone or without supervision so now they took turns on controlling their abilities, Taro catching a flying Chiyo with ice nets whenever she was attacked and Chiyo protecting him from his own ice whenever it grew out of his control.

I, however, was still trying to materialize more than just sparks and small electric flashes on my fingertips without much success.

And as such, while they were mostly distracted by their own doings, I decide to try and find my core again. The whispers had instructed me to get to know my core better so I would work on that.

I submerged myself in the darkness inside my and searched for that spark of power that would lead me to my core. It didn't take long for me to be facing the gigantic ball of multi-colored flames that was my core and this time I started walking up to it without any hesitation.

I already knew what I was facing and rather than being cocky or over-confident I simply knew what to expect. The voices spoke again but I paid them no mind and I stopped right beside my core and took a deep breath.

Well... _Only one way this can possibly go..._

I reached for my core and, just as before, it split open to reveal the orange ball of glistering fire that was inside of it which immediately sent tendrils of flames to grab me. Which did but, this time, they didn't burn. They simply pulled me closer and closer to it, as if they wanted me to physically join with it.

That sent a thrill of apprehension course through me but subsided when I noted I felt no incoming sense of danger and as such I simply relaxed and let it pull me, offering no resistance.

_How ironic that it would be such welcoming reaction to my core that would unleash the following events..._

As I was being pulled I vaguely noted that I could feel the others presence around me, outside of my core, and that I could almost see what they were doing if I focused enough.

_**Which was** _ odd _**.** _

The other flames flicker as if agreeing with me.

I am pulled further into my core, peacefully floating along with the warm orange flames that no longer seemed to burn me or provide any form of fear in me.

Maybe it's because none of the Storms are in danger this time... Maybe that time was because they were trying to warn me about something.

I sense the flames shift.

My eyes slowly close, the warmth was leaving me sleepy, the drifting slowness of everything only brought down more exhaustion and just as I go to drift off to sleep...

A rather sharp tug in my awareness makes me turn my mind's eye to a someone who had purple glistering flames in their chest walking around near my house.

_Suspicious..._

I believe I felt a soft brush of amusement rippling inside my core, as if sharing a private joke, before they reluctantly let go of me and I returned my awareness to the outside and left my core alone.

Opening my eyes to the afternoon sky I got up and brushed off some dirt off my shorts.

"Chiyo, I'm going inside for a bit!" I call out to her.

"'Kay." She answered, not even looking at me, too busy focusing on how well Taro was doing.

I felt like a proud parent when I saw them like this.

_**This**_  is how Storms are meant to be.

**Together in adversity.**

_**Always.** _

I turn around and walk inside, Papa was cooking something in the kitchen so I simply sneak past him and soft close the door behind me. Chiyo and I had started the sneaking-around 'training' and had introduced Taro and Elias to it, something we were also including in our tightly packed schedules on important stuff we had to learn. Taro certainly was thriving in our lessons in posture and balance, his awkwardness in his steps was going to stop, even if Chiyo had to beat it out of him.

A nudge of awareness made me walk down the street and turn left. I peeked out of the corner to see a sight I didn't think I'd see.

Kyoya was walking around with an air of irritation and annoyance, his steps firmly placed on the ground conveying his mood. What was more surprising was that he hadn't noticed me.

Kyoya. The kid that beat men three times his size and barely had a hair out of place on his head, didn't notice me staring at him.

Wow, he must really be out of it...

**...**

_Can I scare him?_

No, I probably shouldn't scare him.

_But he hasn't noticed me. There's no better chance than now._

He'll kill me if I tried.

_No, he won't._

He will.

_Then you just have to run faster than him._

That's easier said than done.

_Consider it training._

Training how? 'How to get killed 101'?

_How to ambush someone? It sounds better?_

**...**

Yeah, let's roll with that.

(My god, I'm turning into a Takeshi version of Chiyo! My poor self-preservation skills have dwindled down into non-existence...)

I sneak closer to Kyoya on silent footsteps, breath held inside and heart beating like wild. Blood pounding in my ears made adrenaline start running through me.

The same feeling of euphoria, that I could do anything I wanted, returned and I grinned. Eyes blazing with excitement, I raised a hand, pressing two fingers together, and zeroed on that one spot my mind whispered was Kyoya's most ticklish spot.

In a lightning fast movement I stab Kyoya and for a split second I watched his facial expression morph into one of surprise and the I feel the nerves of his back twitch under my fingers before I turn right around and run.

I don't stop to think ' **OMYGODIMSODEAD** ' and just run. The adrenaline pumping through me make me feel as if I was flying and I release a 'Whoop' of delight as I run across residential blocks.

I do not turn around to see if Kyoya is following me or how close he is to me, the heavy blood thirsty aura that envelops him lets me know I'm seriously going to be in for some curb-stomp beating ala Kyoya's 'I'll-bite-you-to-death'.

I was just about to turn into another corner when a hand grabs the back of my hoodie.

The world just stops and a stone drops inside my stomach.

"Yamamoto Natsushi~" Kyoyas' silky calm voice greets my ears as I'm turn around and faced with the demonic visage of the eight year old," _ **Kamikorosu**_."

**I deserved this.**

**...**

_Worth it, though..._

* * *

After Kyoya had beaten me to his hearts delight I pondered what would happen now.

I got off the floor and winced at the sore limbs and back and at the bruising that was already appearing. I was just about to turn around and say goodbye to Kyoya, I had to start wandering back home else Papa send out the alert that I was missing (which he would've already noticed by now) when Kyoya speaks up again.

"You're having tea at my house." He says.

"Eh?" I ask.

"I will not repeat myself again, baby carnivore." He says and grabs my arm.

"Ow!" I hiss at the pain erupting from my arm.

Kyoya quickly lets go of it and rolls the shirts' sleeve up to see my arm. There were some bleeding scratches and some bruises but nothing was broken (thankfully), I see Kyoya's face morph into something similar to annoyance and concern before pulling my sleeve down and grabbing my wrist instead (though I noticed his grip was loose and not as tight as it had initially been).

"I'll treat those once we are at my house." Kyoya says and starts leading me along.

People on the street gives us a wide berth, certainly knowing Kyoya's infamous temper, and look curiously at me. Though we didn't look much different from one another, my hair was a tad lighter than his, still black just not as dark, and my skin was just a tad less light than his. My eyes were a greenish blue while his was silver and while I had wide open big eyes his were narrower.

My nose was more rounded than his and my lips were fuller than his, as well. But we looked similar enough to pass off as cousins, so people who didn't know who I was (which was surprising) could easily classify me as a Hibari.

Hibari Natsushi... Weird name.

"You're thinking something stupid." Kyoya's voice shook me off my wandering thoughts.

"How did you know that?" I asked, amazed he was right.

"You had this stupid dreamy expression on your face." Kyoya answered.

"Aah... Yeah, Chiyo has also mentioned that. She says that until I can daydream without that expression showing she won't teach me how to fake expressions, says I need perfect control over myself before I learn how to mess around with them." I tell him.

"Hn." He grunts.

"Why were you so unfocused back there? I don't think I've ever seen you like this, it's amazing!" I ask.

He twitches and his free hand rubs the spot I poked him in with a rueful expression.

I have to suppress the smirk of accomplishment off my face, but Kyoya tap on the top of my head lets me know that I was not successful. (Not that it would've been easy. Kyoya knows me too well and he's a master at reading people's faces.)

"...My  _cousin_  has been sent to live with us full-time." Kyoya replies after a moment of silence.

"Aha... And is that bad? Do you not like him?" I ask.

Kyoya stills a moment before sighing.

"Yurei, he's...  _complicated_." Kyoya answers.

"Huh? Is he older or younger than you?" I ask.

"Younger. That's not why he's complicated." Kyoya answers.

"Then why is he complicated?" I ask, starting to get confused.

Kyoya looks down at me, though he wasn't as tall as Vasco, and his eyes turn very heavy all of a sudden.

He's worried...  _Concerned for his cousin..._

"Yurei... is...  **very**  destructive and disruptive." Kyoya edges around his words.

"So he was sent here because his parents couldn't control him?" I ask, frowning.

"Yes and no. His mother, my mothers' sister, sent him here hoping we could give him a... firmer hand on controlling his impulses. And if that fails... then direct his drive onto something else." Kyoya sighs.

"And that isn't working?" I ask him.

"Hn." His eyes grow colder.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" I ask.

Kyoya's eyes turn back to me.

"After you meet him you might not think the same thing." He cryptically tells me.

"Why?" I ask.

"... You'll see." Was his answer.

We restart walking towards Kyoya's house. Silence comfortably settling between the two of us.

_This was the start of a companionship I'll always treasure._

**Kyoya... My first...P-**

* * *

Kyoya's house looked like a temple.

That's the first thing that popped inside my mind when I saw the wooden gates open to allow us into the Hibari estate. There was a gravel path leading us to the main entrance of his house, a typical rich and traditional japanese house, which was opened my a maid who bowed to Kyoya and welcomed him.

Her eyes turned to me confusedly, I guess Kyoya didn't usually bring home any guests, but before she could say a word there was a loud crash and the sound of breaking glass.

This guttural growl made shivers run down my spine and a flicker of nostalgia start planting its roots in my mind.

_**Oh...** _

**Oh.**

_**Oh no... Don't tell me!** _

I hear Kyoya sigh and start tugging me towards the noise, which was only increasing as we got neared to this pair of shoji doors that (as I later learned on a calmer day) led to the casual sitting-room that also gave way to the garden Kyoya's house had.

My heart was beating wildly when Kyoya went to open the door.

I was starting to have this odd feeling I wasn't going to like what I was about to face.

Kyoya opened the door with a slam, silencing the noise that had been happening and letting us see the devastation that the room was in.

There was broken glass everywhere, having belonged to a mirror and a couple of plates, spilled food and over turned furniture. The wallpaper was scratched and ripped in some parts and the tatami floor needed fixing.

A maid, dressed exactly the same as the one who had greeted us, bowed to Kyoya and took her leave (more like fled the scene) which left my eyes to land on the other occupant of the room and the reason this room was in such disarray.

My eyes widen at the sight before me and so I missed Kyoya's confusion when the other boy's eyes locked into mine and blazed with utter contempt.

It was a boy, of similar height as mine, with soft black hair and light skin. The same nose and mouth as Kyoya, though his face was thinner and he was more thickly built than Kyoya, but his eye shape was similar to his too.

_But his_ **eyes** _..._

**Oh, his eyes changed _everything._**

Steely gold eyes locked into mine and blazed a  **dark pure purple color**  that sent chills down my arms and spine.

Those were  _ **Raniero's**   **eyes**_...  _That same expression..._

**He was another Storm...**

**He was another of** my **Storms.**

"This is my cousin,  **Hayashi Yurei**. " Kyoya said, his voice bringing my out of my stupor.

I turn back to the boy and I see his fury grow, and to my untrained eye I see flames wrap around his chest, hidden from sight, and his growls growing louder.

I had the faint nostalgia about mine and Raniero's first meeting, of course, history had to repeat itself...

**My Tormenta has always been my most troublesome Storm...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The * I placed at the start of Vasco's speech was because I used more portuguese casual phrases than the actual grammar corrected sentences. 'Tava is short for Estava, which means 'I was'. So that's why I sometimes place that little key there, just a reminder that Vasco uses shortenings instead of saying the whole entire word.
> 
> Like one of Natsu's whispers.
> 
> Isaia and Pace's conversation happens a bit after they save Gracia but they still haven't found either Marzia or Chiara. The war he mentions is the uproar that starts once Vongola get more recognition and become a thorn in the backside of crime-riddled Italy. Hence the group who is expanding being Vongola.


	34. Part II - Chapter 7

"Hi?" I smiled, internally freaking out because 'Oh my god, another Storm was  **HERE** ' and, to make matters worse, was  _Kyoya's_  cousin.

"His golden eyes were trained on me and I felt like a rabbit under a predators gaze, the only visible emotion on his face was anger, but his eyes...

His eyes...

Uncaring golden orbs focused solely on me, peeking Kyoya's curiosity regarding mine and Yurei's reactions.

I was about to reach out for him, just as I had done with every single other Storm so far, my core sang a mournful song of longing, wishing to be reunited with its Tormenta, its Blizzard, and I knew my eyes were blazing orange as I tried to drew closer to him.

_But that was not meant to be._

Something similar to fear flashed in his eyes before my  _mind_  halted and  _screeched_ at me.

_**DUCK!** _

I dropped to the ground on instinct, avoiding the flying kick that Yurei had threw at me with a feral cry.

"Hey!" I yelped.

_**GET AWAY!** _

I rolled to my left successfully dodging the kick that would've met my head had I not got out of the way. The anger in those golden eyes only grew as I avoided any and all hits he then tried on me.

"What did I do?!" I yelped again, barely avoiding the punch he threw, jumping away from him and behind Kyoya.

"What are  _you_  doing here?" He growled," You are  **weak**! Why should  _ **I**_  listen to  ** _you_**? Why should I care?!" He grunts.

"Stand  _down_ , Yurei." Kyoya speaks evenly, his voice a tad uncaring and equally cold.

A  **mask** , my mind whispers, he was putting on a mask.

" _ **No**_!  _I will not listen_... No...  **No**! You are weak! Weak...  _Weak_... You are so  _ **WEAK**_!" He yowls and charges straight at me, ignoring Kyoya completely.

There's this burst of dark swirling purple flames in his eyes when he charges, the flames spreading outwards to the rest of his body and I feel a chill running down my spine and through me. The hairs at the back of my neck stood on end...

_His form shimmered, my mind is filled with this haze, and I see it shift into Raniero's form._

But this is not the Raniero I  _know_  from memories... This Raniero is younger...  ** _rougher_**...

_He's..._

I'm snapped out of my daze when my focus is brought back to the present, in a flash Kyoya had grabbed Yurei and threw him onto the floor, holding his hands behind his back and successfully pining him down.

But the younger boy kept trashing around, fighting the grip Kyoya had on him, yowling and growling epithets that would've left Grandma blushing, further raising Kyoya's hackles.

In the pit of my stomach the stone inside got ice cold and heavier and heavier with each word he shouted, it sank lower and lower with each vile shout he spat out in utter fury.

_... **Wild**._

I didn't realize I was crying until my sight blurred and the two boys still in place, fall silence and stare in amazement at the sight before them.  **(*)**

Tears stream down my face and, for a reason unfathomable to me at that point in time, I feel as if my core was being gripped by someone's cruel fist and crushed.

I didn't know I was crying out because of the pain Yurei had reflected in his eyes.

**_The pain that haunted him._ **

I didn't know I was mourning another cycle of pain my Tormenta always survived in.

But most of all, I was crying out in misery, my core desperately trying to reach out and shelter this Storm,  _ **protect**   **its' Storm**_...

**Heal him...**

"Weak... Crying... like that..." Yurei's voice sounded so cold, so hollow, void of emotion," A weakling like that..."

It hurt. His words cut at my core, though they had no leverage over my mind, his words shook me, and prevented me from reaching out

" _ **I'll never follow you!**_ " The boy suddenly yells," WEAK! You are weak!"

He does not get the chance to speak another word as Kyoya knocked him out then. I wanted to reach out but I stayed my hand, rubbing my eyes instead.

Kyoya made a motion with his hand and maids poured into the room, starting to get the place cleaned up while another took Yurei away.

"Come." Kyoya said, a hand on my shoulder pushing me out of the room and into another where a maid was setting down a tea tray and a first aid-kit on the low coffee-table.

"...Take off your shirt." He says once the door closes.

I blink at him before morosely doing as he said, Kyoya would rip the hoodie off me if I didn't take it off of that I was sure, and remained silent as Kyoya started cleaning and dressing the scratches and abrasions, a frown worming its way on his face.

"You can dodge... Why did you let me hit you?" Kyoya asked.

"You didn't hit too hard, not like you do those who break rules, and you weren't going to harm me beyond bruises and scratches." I answered quietly," You wouldn't kill me."

"And Yurei would?" Kyoya asked, not in anger or annoyance but merely in curiosity.

"Not intentionally." I answered," He can't control his anger nor his strength, right?" I smile sadly at him.

Kyoya stills.

"Hn." He silently answers.

"He can't help it, don't blame this on him, it's not his fault." I tell him," He's..."

"Angry?" Kyoya suggests, seeing me search for a word.

"No... More like, it's like he's..." I start off,"... _Scared_." I whisper.

"Scared of what?" Kyoya frowns.

I stare off into the wall beside me I could still feel Yurei's presence on the edge of my awareness, the aura he carried was cold and ruthless,  ** _a haze of bloodthirsty uncontrollable fury that had no outlet_** tainted his core. Picked at it and kept shaving off layers of it, his power was fighting itself, self-destructing and hurting him.

The stone in my stomach only gets heavier.

A memory brushes against the forefront of my mind and my eyes dull.

"I don't know." I answer with a tired sigh.

"But you want to know." Kyoya says," You still want to help, even after meeting him." He adds.

"I do." I agree with him," I have to help him."

"Why?" Kyoya, his tone losing that loose air of casualness and turning very serious.

I shift in place, before turning back to face him, my gaze stared heavily into the eight year old's and I internally sigh.

- ** _Do not tell him._  **\- The whisper stops me from replying.

_Why?_

-  _ **Beware those you trust.**_  - The whisper answers.

_Kyoya would never hurt me, of_ that _I am certain._

-  _ **Maybe so, but beware Temporale, broken trust is not a lesson easily forgotten.**  _\- The whisper tells me before fading.

Ghost pains flicker into life at the reminder.

_A memory best forgotten and left alone._

"I... cannot tell you, not now at least." I answer to him.

"Will you ever tell me?" Kyoya asks, his silver eyes were piercing but no anger or any dangerous intentions could be felt by me.

"I don't know, Kyoya..." I answer truthfully," I cannot give you an answer when I fear I might lie if I do."

Kyoya looks ready to protest, to grumble and pester me about my 'non-carnivore' behavior but he stops and thinks my words over.

"Will you help Yurei?" He then asks.

"Yes." I promise him.

"Will he ever be... normal?" He chooses his words loosely.

"No." I immediately answer," And I wouldn't recommend ever letting him leave Namimori."

This makes Kyoya pause, his eyes questioning, before he comes to some conclusion and starts pouring tea into two cups.

"Why?" He asks as he pours.

_Huh, how to explain this..._

"Well?" Kyoya raises an eyebrow in waiting, a teacup already in his hands and another in front of me.

"He can't leave, cannot, else he might get hurt." I answer," Trust me on this, Kyoya, when I tell you he's safer here than anywhere else in the world." I add, mentally pleading with every single god and deity that nothing would lead my Tormenta out of my reach.

Kyoya sips on his tea, his eyes never leaving mine, before continuing to speak:

"My father assured his parents that remaining here would be beneficial for Yurei, but for him to remain here permanently then it would have to be Yurei, and only Yurei, to make that request." Kyoya said.

I nod, slowly drinking the tea he had given (nudged my way) me.

"Yurei never reacted that way to anyone before." Kyoya starts," He destroys the room he's in and everything in it but never does he actually dare to try and harm anyone who is in it, unless they attack him first."

"Aah..." I murmur," He probably felt endangered." I answer.

_It was like that the first time around too..._

"Endangered by you?" Kyoya's obvious disbelief is palpable and it makes me smirk (which I hide behind my teacup).

" **I'm more dangerous than you give me credit for.** " I enigmatically tell him.

A thin raised eyebrow is my only response.

* * *

Papa had an earful to give me by the time I was brought home, by one of Kyoya's family maids that lived nearby, along with Chiyo and Takeshi who had been understandably worried sick about my vanishing, Taro and Elias had already been picked up by their families and (Taro at least) would join us again tomorrow.

I didn't tell Chiyo about Yurei, not when I still hadn't settled that matter inside my head, and merely laid the blame of my late arrival on my run-in with Kyoya (which probably wasn't the wisest choice), but Papa's questioning gaze made me pause before I shrugged off his questions and went about to set the table with Chiyo.

I would answer his questions later, once I had time to review and understand what I had just witnessed.

I hoped that it wasn't what I thought it was, because Isaia's memory of said event (even if it was mostly just speculation) painted a grim picture for the possible answer of this problem.

_I wasn't sure the town would still be standing if it was._

Dinner was a quiet affair, or as quiet as you could get in the Yamamoto household, with Seth either curled up around one of my ankles and lazily circling around the table. I had to withhold a snort when I see Papa's back stiffen and his smile become frozen on his face when Seth decided to curl around his ankle.

Papa had never felt comfortable around the large snake.

_And_ **that**   _was **so**  funny._

Chiyo was morose by the time Papa had told us to go to bed and get some sleep, training took a lot of energy out of her (and so did my sword training, when I trained that is) and Takeshi was more than happy to offer her a piggy-back ride up the stairs. Who knew a tired Chiyo could act so cuddly...?

I had a hard time falling asleep that night. Something inside of me hurt and cried its' anguished thrill, begged for something to be returned to it but which was refusing to come back.

I softly rubbed my hand over my chest, the moonlight created shadows on the bed curtain and my eyes followed them in a lazy and tired attempt at not letting my mind ponder on the events of that day.

Truth be told, today's events had drudged more than it's fair share of memories best left forgotten, none of them mine. The whispers advice, or warning depending on how you took it, had brought into my awareness a memory belonging to Asa that I was very uncomfortable with to let myself focus on it.

Then Yurei's powers popped up in my train of thought and I groaned, thinking about that was exactly what I didn't want to do.

His power... Even if I had absolutely no idea what was really going on, was unstable. It was running rampant because Yurei  _couldn't_  control it.

_**It was too strong.** _

How could I help him?

-  _ **Do what has been done before.**  _\- The wispy voice said.

_What has been done before?_

-  _ **Yea', do wha' other Temporales hav' done!**  _\- The darker one said with a crackle.

-  _ **Give him what all Tormentas need but lack.**_  - The wispy one added.

_What they need but... lack?_

-  _ **Yes. What all Tormentas require to live and survive like the rest of the Storms, but that which they lack and suffer for its absence.**  _\- The wispy one answered.

-  _ **Do ya' know wha' it is?**_  - The other asked.

_No. What is it?_

- _**Balance.**  _\- The two of them answer, their voices cracking like lightning.

Darkness and haze fogged my mind.

* * *

I was back into the mindscape, still in complete darkness with the exception of the sole bright star above me. Nothing had really changed since I had last been here, but the air was slightly warmer yet still cold which I didn't really saw as relevant.

As I looked around I started to wonder what would appear here. What would materialize next?

_What could I give?_

\- Whatever you want to give it. - The wispy voice spoke, - Whatever you wish or promise to give it. - It adds.

"Maybe a full sky, that star looks lonely." I smile," Or maybe somewhere you could sit or lay down?" I wondered.

\- Company or comfort? - It murmured,- Then how can you give it? -

I shrugged. I had no idea how.

\- You gave that star. You created it. - It said,- How? -

"I saved Elias." I answered.

\- You wanted to save her and you did. - The whisper replied, - And by doing so you created that star by giving determination, will and  **hope**  to this Dreamscape.-

"Hope? That star means hope?" I asked.

\- That one yes, but not all stars represent hope. Some burn brighter, some are dimmer, and none two stars are the same... - The whisper answered.

"So, for me to give company or comfort to this place, I must do something that represents that?" I asked.

\- Yes and no. You must give what in your heart perceive as having an equal value of what you wish to materialize here. - The whisper answered patiently.

_Aah..._

"Earlier... What did you mean by ' _Balance_ '?" I asked after a moment of silence.

\- Tormentas lack balance, their cores are wild and unfocused, they fight for control of something neither side can quite grasp, and they pay dearly for it. - The whisper replied.

"Why?" I questioned.

The whisper went still for a moment.

\- Tell me, Temporale, do you know what your core is? What it is made of? - The whisper asked in lieu of answering.

"No, it's made of colorful flames." I frowned," Purple, blue and green... In the inside it's orange." I added.

\- But do you do not know what those flames are, correct? - The whisper questioned.

"No." I reluctantly shake my head.

\- Those flames are... - The whisper starts to explain when it's interrupted by this cold wave of... something that makes it pause.

"They're what?" I pressed, pleading for the whisper to answer.

\- He has a right to know... We can't keep him in the dark forever. He's closer to the answer himself, no matter what we do now, he'll figure it out. - The whisper answers to someone other than me.

-... Too' early... - The other frequent whisper mutters back.

\- That's not your decision to make. We are here to advise and guide, to reason and help him, not to make decisions for him or to keep things from him once it reaches the point where he needs that information. - The whisper replies back.

\- King's too youn'..." The other argues.

\- If he's already opened up his core he might as well start working with it! The sooner the better, you know that! - The other continued on with the same tone.

There's this huff of indignation before a quieter mutter is heard.

\- The' keep gettin' young'r each time... - The other says, clearly unhappy.

\- I know. - The other sighs.

I blink and try to process their words.

"You've  _met_  other Temporales?" I asked.

Quiet answers me.

\- You could say that. - The wispy one answers.

\- Nah' like we had a choice. - The other grumbles.

"Will you tell me now what you were going to tell me?" I decide to just get this done before I tried to shoulder on more doubts and questions.

\- I'mma gonna go... Can't stan' t'is part. - The other mumbled before vanishing.

-... Such a softie he is... - The other sighs, before turning more serious,- Where was I?-

"You were saying that the flames were...?" I said.

\- Elements. The flames represent elements, who themselves belong in different groups of Flames. - The whisper continued immediately,- So far there are only two recognized groups of Flames, Flames of Sky and Flames of Earth. -

Suddenly there's this flutter in my mind, like a memory trying to come out. A word at the tip of your tongue you're struggling to remember.

\- There are seven flames in each group. - The whisper started to explain.

"One for each Storm?" I interrupted in question.

\- No, Storms do not belong in either of these groups, though they affect and take influence from both. - The whisper answered, taking my interruption in stride,- Storms only represents themselves and can only be grouped with their own flames.- It added in a serious tone.

"Why? Why are Storms so different?" I asked.

\- They are different because they were not meant to exist, if they had been then there would've been many more Storms. - It answered,- I believe you already know why only seven Storms exist in every generation, why a new one only appears when its predecessor dies. - It added.

"Yes... Because the power broke off from a bigger chunk of power." I answered.

\- Exactly, and that power they broke off is the power that the other flames are grouped in, divided into two groups, seven types each. - The whisper seemed kind of proud to be explaining this.

"But... Are there really no flame similar to ours?" I asked.

The whisper went quiet and seemed to be pondering something.

\- There is a... 'flame' similar to the Storms, but still far different from it. - It answered, unsure about how to explain.

"What flame is it?" I asked, eager to know.

\- Flames of Wrath. - The whisper answered,- A vile creation of hate and anger, tainting such pure core element, made possible by...  _ **His**  _anger. - It spat out in disgust.

That name... It nudged that memory piece a bit more.

"Is there... Anyone who can use this flame now?" I asked.

I hear nonsensical muttering and grumbling.

\- One, and you will not be pleased to hear who it is. - The whisper assures me.

"Who?" I asked.

\- One of Vongola Nonos' sons. - The whisper said,- The youngest whose name is Xa-...- It started to add.

"Xanxus." I instantly recall.

Wait...  **Recall**? I've never heard of that name...

_But..._

A memory trembled and shifted in the forefront of my mind, begging to be noticed, recognized... Remembered.

Xanxus... Nono's youngest son... Vongola's...

A flash of angry red eyes flashes before me and I blink, startled.

It was not the same red eyes as the ones in my dream, similar but not the same, and yet...

_I recognized them._

And I felt something creeping over me.

"Those elements... What are they?" I asked quietly.

Flames of Sky... Flames of Earth... They sounded very familiar as well, but not from Isaia's perspective, no...

_**Something far more troubling...** _

\- The Flames of Sky, the ones you see around you and are extremely common and easy acessible, are Mist, Cloud, Sun, Thunder, Storm, Rain and Sky. - It answered.

_**And just like that I was plunged into ice.** _

Before my eyes I saw images roll and phase through me, the feeling of paper on my fingertips, the sounds of laughter and silly cartoon sounds resounded inside me. A memory popped up and unfolded, forgotten but remembered, and I shivered in realization.

' _Asa, you should see this manga I have here!'_

_'Why? What's it about?'_

_'Mafia! You'll love it!'_

_'I don't think so. But, I'll give it a try.'_

_'Great! Then, next time, you can tell me what you thought of it!'_

Those voices... Those are mine and... Hugh's...

I thought I would never heard them again...

It's been  _ **so**   **long**  _since I last heard them.

What's going on? I remember this... back when I was Asa... Back before I was here...

How... Can this be?

How can I exist in...-

_'Hey, Asa! So, what did you think?'_

_'It was really great! Did you see how Tsuna handled it in that chapter?'_

_'Yeah, he was awesome. I wanna be like him, except not as wimpy...'_

Chapter... It was the chapter of that manga Hugh had wanted me to read. The one he let me borrow, the one he later gave me...

It's name was...

_**Dread started pooling around me.** _

_'What's your favorite element then?'_

_'Huh? You're asking me?'_

_'Duh, who else would I ask? We're the only ones here.'_

_'Oh, yeah, I forgot. Well, I would say I am a... a **Sun**!'_

**Hugh...**

_'Why a Sun?'_

_'Because, Asa, I brighten up your day all the time!'_

_**Hugh... Please... Don't...** _

_'That's not a very good reason...'_

It really wasn't...  _But that didn't mean it was any less true..._  Oh, Hugh...

_'Then, what about you? What's your element?'_

_'Oh? I think I'm more of a mist...'_

**Because I always lied.**  Because I always created and invented a new illusion to blunt my reality, to muffle the sounds of hate and criticizing...

To help me face a new day...

_'A mist? Not a chance! You're a sky, one hundred percent!'_

Oh, Hugh...  _ **Did you really believe that?**_

_' A sky? I'm not that great, nor am I as cool as Tsuna...'_

I really wasn't... and yet...

_**You smiled so brightly.** _

"This world..." I started to say, my voice breaking with emotion.

\- You've realized? Do you remember? - The whisper quietly asked.

"This is a manga... An anime... I've seen this, yet..." I was picking at straws and I knew it.

\- Yes, it is all that, but, at the same time, this world is not any of those. - The whisper said,- Do you know why?-

I looked up at the single star shining down on the dark void.

"Because we do not exist in any other world..." My eyes widen,"  **We were never meant to exist.** " I whisper.

\- That's right, Temporale. - The whisper says,- You know this world by watching others, so you know what will happen soon, but have no references or support to help you choose what you wish for the Storms to become, for they do not exist.-

I start picking up facts from both memory veins, mine and Asa's and I start to compare them. And sooner than I want I come to the realization that...

"We are in Vongola soil. This is Primo's land..." I clutch my head in despair," Vongola's future heir is here?! Tsuna! That kid! The empty kid!" I shriek," Vongola...!"

And then it hits me.

**Takeshi...  _Kyoya_...  _Ryohei_...**  They are Vong-!

\- Not yet. - The wispy voice interrupts my inner freak out,- You may still change that if you wish. There's nothing stopping you, right?-

That's right, but...

"It's like a butterfly effect, just by exist we are already creating ripples... The bridge incident is an example, Mama still died but it was... different." I started to calm down," If I change things... what else can go sideways? I have no idea or way of knowing..."

\- No, but you might want to change things in favor of keeping family and friends from joining the mafia. - It reasoned,- Besides, look back and think about all the things you've already changed. You do not need to worry about these things now, you still have time, and far more pressing matters to deal with.-

_Yurei._

**Our powers.**

_Vasco._

**_The missing Storm._ **

**...**

"Takeshi is... almost seven years old." I started," The mafia arrive when he's... fourteen? I can't remember correctly." I frown.

\- Around that time. - It answers.

"That's seven years, almost six." I glare at the nothingness in front of me," That is not a lot of time!"

\- More time to prepare than you've been alive. - It shrugged,- You've always felt that a confrontation was going to happen sooner or latter.-

I glared harder.

Closing my eyes I took a deep breath.

"We are going to return to this topic later," I glared," Now... Can we please get back on track, I'm starting to get a headache." I sighed tiredly.

\- Of course. - The whisper had the audacity to seemingly smirk knowingly.

**We were so dead... Why just why did I have to remember this now?!**

**It _helps_  but still!**

Oh Kami, how will I explain this to the others?

How will I be able to look at Kyoya and Takeshi without immediately thinking they are Vongola Guardians?

Speaking of Guardians... Kyoya was...

I choke on my laughter.

Oh God! He's  _Alaude's_  descendant!

And Takeshi is Asari's!

Wait... My laughter dies a terrible death.

That makes me his descendant also... We belong to one of Vongola's lines...

_Seriously?_

That's not as funny as it is ironic...  **(**)**

* * *

"I already get the gist of it with the elements, so I guess we can skip that, so..." I prompt.

\- Why are Storms so different than simple flame users? - It asks.

"Yes, why?" I ask.

\- Because flame users have only one flame, even in the rare occasion where one has more than one flame frequency, and they only utilize one flame at a time. - It started to explain,- Storms are combination of flames, they cannot separate these elements and so their flames are automatically more dangerous and a lot more stronger.-

"So... Yurei's uncontrollable power is because it's a mixture of elements?" I ask.

\- Yes and no. It's the element that's mixed with that's causing the problem. - The wispy one answers,- What can you now say about your core? Knowing flames and their properties?-

Huh... I frowned trying to remember the faded information from Asa's memories.

"I have... Cloud flames, along with Rain and Thunder flames... and... Sky?" I say unsure.

\- Correct. And what of their properties?- It asks.

"Cloud is...  **Propagation**. Rain is  **Tranquilization**  and Thunder is  **Hardening**." I slowly answer," Sky is easy enough to remember,  **Harmonization**."

\- And what do those properties do? - It then asks.

I frown harder, what did that have to do with anything.

"Sky turned things to stone, Thunder made things harder, like a shielding and stuff, and Rain made things slow down. Or put people to sleep." I answer," Cloud..." I stop to ponder on the stray thought of Kyoya covering the whole town with hedgehogs," Multiplies." I finish.

\- And Suns have  **Activation** , they heal things, Storm is  **Disintegration** , it makes things brittle and decompose, Mist is  **Construction** , it creates things, real or not. - It adds,- Of course, there are characteristics and traits that, usually, all flame users have in common, depending on their type, can you recall them?-

"Skies being silly and clumsy? Mists being really creepy? Things like that?" I ask it.

\- Yes! Can you remember what Clouds were like?- It seems anxious.

"Ruthless. Vicious..." I frown,"  _Territorial_?" I add.

\- That one. - It says,- Kyoya is Cloud, and you also possess that element, as does every single other Storm as it  ** _is_  **their core element, the one where all other elements rotate and function around.- It starts to explain.

\- Yurei is a Tormenta, and, as ' _luck_ ' would have it, all Tormentas draw the short straw in regards to their powers. - It continues,- Unlike other Storms, except the Temporale, it only has one element, but two cores.-

"But... You just said Tormentas have Cloud! That means he has..." I hesitate.

\- It means he has  _ **two**  _ **Cloud**   _ **cores**_ , and that's where the problem lies. - It sighs,- Clouds are possessive and territorial and, even if they belong to the same user, do not tolerate another core encroaching on it, so... they fight.-

"But that only makes matters worse!" I yell.

\- Yes, but they are sentient (even if unemotional and unresponsive) power manifestations, they don't know better. - It admonishes me,- They fight and the only way to make them stop is one of two options. -

"And what are those options?" I wearily ask.

I can almost imagine its' smirk.

\- Fight them and tire them out. - It says, - Giving them a way to release that energy that has no outlet. Or...-

\- Tranquilize them with a Rain element. - It seems to shrug.

Rain element... Blue flames... That would mean...-

" _ **YOU WANT ME TO TOSS TARO IN FRONT OF YUREI?!**_ " I shriek again.

That's  **literally**  like tossing an innocent lamb to the wolves?!

\- Well, you could try and harmonize with him... But that might not work, so... - It counted off,- You have to fight him and tire him out.-

**...**

"You're kidding me..." I gape at it," You want me to ' **fight** ' a guy who not only is a Cloud, he's a dual Cloud core?! Are you crazy?!"

\- My sanity is not to be question by the likes of you,  ***hmpf***  - It huffed in indignation,- Oh look at the time, best you be off then!~-

" **Oy!**  This is not ov-..." I started to yell.

Light flooded and the next thing I know I'm opening bleary eyes to the sunlight bed curtain of my bunk bed.

"You've got to be kidding me..." I grumble.

* * *

\- Well, that went better than expected. - A voice cheerfully commented.

\- Yah', and ya' managed nah' ta' tell King abou' dat' Sky he 'as...- The second one grumbles in agreement.

\- He _never_ **asked** _._  - The other answered.

**Both voices burst out laughing.**

* * *

I knew I was pacing even before Chiyo hit me with her sneaker and told me to sit down and stay still. Unfortunately for her, her threats had long since lost their overwhelming sense of fear, so I just tossed the sneaker back and kept pacing.

It was not that Chiyo was no longer terrifying, because trust me she was, it was just that I had grown familiar to her presence and mood, the slight changes in her demeanor that symbolized danger to me or others, so I knew how far I could push her temper before I was splattered on a damn wall.

"What's into you anyway?! You've been like that since yesterday!" She grumbled.

"I just realized something... And..." I start scratching the back of my neck.

"And what?" She asks, more out of habit than actual curiosity.

"I met  _another_  Storm." I 'casually' answer.

Chiyo freezes mid-step, turning to me with horrified eyes.

"That makes... Six Storms found?" Chiyo whispers," Did you meet him in your dreams too?" There was a hopeful note in her voice.

"No, he's already here..." I can feel a grimace take over my face," It's Kyoya's cousin."

**Oh, God I do not like that look in her eyes.**

_Wait_...  **That's it!**

I turn to her, my eyes glinting with mad pleasure and I have a really large grin on my face right now.

" _ **Chiyo~**_ " I start with the 'Yamamoto style' cheery tone of voice.

She looks really unsure at the moment, a million possibilities flooding her mind.

Good, I can be just as terrifying as her, if for all the different reasons.

"How interested are you in a really 'all-out' battle between Kyoya, you, Yurei (that's the new Storm) and I?" I cheerfully ask her.

Her ' _smile_ ' just makes me regret this decision a ' _little_ ' bit.

_Oh well..._

_**I hope the town is still standing after this...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temporale have three elements: Cloud (a core every single other Storm has); Thunder (Lightning, whatever you wish to call it) and Rain.  
> Sandstorms have two elements: Cloud and Mist.  
> Hurricanes have two elements: Cloud and Sun.  
> Ice-Storms have two elements: Cloud and Rain.  
> Lightning-Storms have two elements: Cloud and Thunder.  
> Blizzards have one element: Cloud (core 1) and Cloud (core 2).  
> Firestorms have two elements: Cloud and Storm.
> 
> Storms (the group) do not possess any type of Sky flame. Sky flames are not in any way to be associated with Temporale flames. Therefor, Natsushi having Sky flames, is not connected to his powers or birth family. I also have to note that Isaia has, so far, not showed any 'orange blazing eyes' either.
> 
> Tormentas (Blizzards) tend to be very, very violent due to their powers driving them into a 'unstoppable battle-rage' mode, they sure didn't help Storms try to show people they are not dangerous, since a simple argument would 'trigger' them.
> 
> The 'Well, that escalated quickly' phrase can describe them fairly well...
> 
> The (*) is because I didn't want to add an A/N there to say they were stupefied with the sight of cute cuddly Natsushi's big eyes filled with tears, that's like kicking a puppy. Except this 'puppy' is a frikin' powerhouse that could and would wipe the floor with you.
> 
> In a few years...
> 
> (**) - A/N: I was laughing madly behind the screen writing that. He has no idea.


	35. Part II - Chapter 8

Everything was frozen still. The world was merely a blank piece of paper, scribbles of dark ink on the white surface, with no emotions, no reactions, no color. Everything was quiet, sound was like something long forgotten, faded, non-existent.

My heartbeat was still, frozen just like the rest of them, and blood was cold in my veins.

Yet I was alive.

Yet I was warm.

Yet I saw how everything moved and shimmered.

Hidden colors, too much like secrets, peeking out of their souls, hazy shadows curled up around their shoulders.

A cloaked man standing not too far from me, his ever present grin, the one I usually always witnessed, was missing. In its place was a vaguely concerned frown, his shadowed eyes seemed sad, or perhaps angry, but I didn't pay them any mind.

My eyes focused solemnly on the blank sillhouette in front of me, the one I knew had two glaring golden orbs and a devastating cocky grin on his lips, the one that I had spent the last minutes observing and welcoming.

My eyes were locked on him. But, in this moment, I could see through him. The dark purple balls of fire that swirled with power and clashed against one another, two gladiators unwilling to back down from a challenge, the ever lasting battle in the chambers of Valhalla, the euforia of bloodlust and anticipation.

I could see it all, but I could not understand.

\- Yo' will. - He said, with a chilling chuckle,- An' yo'll regret wantin' ta' kno'.-

_I won't._

I wanted to tell him that. To shout it in his face if I had to.

Because this was my Storm, my Tormenta, and damned if I didn't find out how I could help him or get down to the bottom of this endless darkening spiral of sickening anger and hate.

I wanted to see light, the one at the end of the tunnel that made hope blossom and dreams be accomplished. I wanted it to be real, to hold the answers to my questions.

_I wanted him to see it too._

For those weary golden eyes to look up and widen, then glisten with tears and heartfully be able to say, 'It's okay, now. Everything will be alright. It will be alright now.', but I couldn't.

**Not alone.**

So, with another heavy burden on my shoulders and another regret carved out inside my heart, I plunged not one, not two, but three weary souls into the darkening abyss of memories.

Memories so dark they could very well belong in Hell.

Memories no one should need to know...

To  ** _see_**...

To  ** _acknowledge_**...

To  ** _live_**  with...

.

.

.

Time shuddered, a ripple passed through us, and with the deafning sound of thunder everything went back to how it was before.

Eyes blazed  _ **orange**_.

Eyes blazed  _ **blue**_.

And, with a single touch, a single grip on the dust covered shirt, his eyes blazed too.

Golden eyes widened and swirled for a moment before blazing with  ** _purple_  **fire.

And somewhere deep within me, something arouse from its tired slumber, turned its shimmering eye upward and laughed, happily calling up to the sky.

**"Welcome home! What took you so long?!"**

* * *

One day and three hours before

* * *

Maybe telling Chiyo that she could fight Kyoya and a newly found Storm was a poor idea. The amount of excitement she had reflected in her pink eyes was enough to make me pause and shiver.

In fact, this whole thing was quickly becoming a thorn in my side. But I guess that's what one should expect when making a decision without really thinking it through.

_Aah~_

How was I going to get myself out of this mess?

On one hand I readily realized that this could work. Chiyo would obviously waste no time in rushing head first into the dangerous fray of fighting (and she bugged me about being too single minded in regards to certain subjects), leaving me to (try) tire Yurei alone.

But, on the other hand, this left me with the problem that **a.**  I didn't really have a solid plan on how exactly I could tire Yurei out, and **b.**  I was having doubts (again) about my ability to sort this out.

I knew, I truly did, that I had to step up and take charge of this mess. Yurei could not be allowed to stay in this state of... chaos, untrained and unfocused, a spiralling mess of anger and hate and fury that threatened to burn through any safety net we'd try and throw his way in order for him to either not oust us out into the limelight (like, hey, Storms here!) or to tear him apart from his family.

I was under no misconceptions that Yurei's family would not isolate him and, Kami forbid it, possibly even, turn him over to any type of asylum to the more... destructive-type of people.

I knew there was all sorts of drugs that could leave even the most strong-willed person a blubbering and drooling mess, and for the life of me I would lose my calm collected bearings if that was to ever happen to any of my Storms.

(Sometimes having memories of three people all jumbled out inside my head did me no favors)

Finally, I sighed and pushed away from me the sheet of paper I had been scribbling on, the small colorful dots I used to identify everyone without spelling out their names could easily pass off as a random childhood drawing that made no sense.

How wrong they would be.

(And how amusing it would be to look back on this papers and see, through older and wiser eyes, my many first attempts at codified messages and mission reports)

Chiyo was off somewhere, either outside running through an invisible (imaginary) obstacle course over and over again, or ambushing Takeshi around the shop, or tormenting Papa with the prolonged exposure to a clingy Seth around his ankles.

Or even worse, ' _helping_ ' clean up around the shop.

Chiyo was many things, and had the potential to be many more, but a careful person around glass and other fragile materials she was not.

Hence the unspoken reason as to why she was not allowed anywhere near, or in the close surroundings, of Mama's favorite tea set. The one that was kept tightly locked on the armoire in the back storage room, in a dark wooden box with the carvings of birds and leaves and flowers on the cover.

Not that I had ever removed it from said storage, such a thought was unthinkable.

_... Honestly_.

Anyway, I pushed the paper away and stood up from the low table on the playroom, put away the many, many missmatched pairs of pencils into a random box and tidy up the place, just enough so it would not be considered messy but also not really hard to mess it up again.

'Cuz I had enough faith in myself, and knowledge of my several shortcomings in regards to proper planning, to know I was going to have to return back to the drawing board in need of another plan or idea on how to deal with this.

After that was done I slinked away towards the dojo in the back of the store, the wooden creaked a bit under my foot as I stepped on a particular loose board without actually meaning to, one of those things that slips your mind due to you being so familiar with it, and walked up to the stand where two swords stood on display.

Fathers' sword and Natsumes' sword.

I pondered for a moment if I should kneel before the swords and think about things for a moment.

Take the whispers' advice and see things through a different point of view, perhaps even ask them for advice, but I disgarded the thought. At this precise moment I didn't want to stay put in one place any longer, instead...

_I wanted to_ **move** _._

I went off to the side and grabbed my shinai, the training bamboo sword, that was rather pitiously smaller than all the rest of the swords there were and took up the first stance Papa had taught me. My grip had to be arranged a few tries, my body having no muscle memory or previous recollection of having (ever) held a sword, and my feet tripped on themselves quite a lot as I kept practicing the motions Papa had instructed me to learn and review on.

They were simple.

They were standart motions.

Something any student learning the art of kendo learned very early on.

It was something so easy, so astonishingly  _easy_ , to accomplish...

That I failed miserably to keep focused.

I had the instinctive and childish emotion to whine and say that it was not my fault, that the sword was the one that was wrong. That the floor was uneven or that the world was against me learning the art of the sword, a million and one excuses that my mind could conjure up in its defense in case Papa asked what was wrong or the reason for my continued failures.

But I spoke nigh a word about those.

I didn't ignore them, not really, I knew that bottling up these emotions, these young uncontrolable urges to be as carefree and childish as this body biologically was, was a very wrong thing to do.

I knew that if I did that it was only going to lead to resentment or worse emotion stuntment or lack of entirely.

No, instead I did the best next thing.

I thrived in thinking up these excuses. I mocked them, like, 'Really? An uneven floor? Can't you make a better excuse?'. And I would pace back and forth in my mind with these discussions, arguements that made no sense to anyone, even less me, but that accomplished their role.

In the end, so distracted I would be, that I would be to preocupied in my own mind to worry about if I was doing the correct motions, or following Papa's instructions to the letter.

Because, for all that I loved Papa to bits, those instructions did not move me. They just bore me out of my mind and caused me to sigh internally. No, I worked best when I had no thought in what I was doing exactly.

So what, if I did not take a half-step backwards and knocked the invisible enemy shinai away with a simple twist of the wrist?

I tripped the bastard by randomly swirling out of the way and sticking my foot out at the worst possible time.

So what if I did not swing the shinai in a graceful arch that went over my head and strike right on the shoulder and arm of the enemy?

Instead I did a simple footwork and jabbed the pointy end on the curve of the man's chest, in that little spot I knew there was a small opening between the ribs that led right to the heart.

Papa would not approve of my ' _flawed_ ' motions of sword practice, but these were the motions that brought me out.

Isaia fought with a knife, hidden in shadows and silent as a grave, stalking behind opponents and striking even before they realize he was there.

Asa had never fought in her life, she simply did not possess the spirit to. Too broken and lost and weighted down to look up and say to herself, I can do this.

I held none of those despositions.

I refused to cower before others, I would not bow to another, refused to entirely, come hell or high water.

I also refused to play dirt and not allow my opponent the chance to fight back.

That portion of me I acklowledged as flawed in itself.

In this world, once the Storms' secret was out, there would not be many people that would give me that same benefict. Instead the rule would be, strike first and ask for forgiveness later.

And I knew that, I understood it, and I decided to hold the benefict of doubt regarding my final position in that matter for later.

In the six or seven years we had until Vongola showed up on our doorstep, many things could change.

"Natsu." A quiet but strong voice brought me back to the present.

I finished the motion I was performing and stood on attention, my eyes locking to the ones observing me. Their calm brown color held the twinge of regret and loss and the glow of pride, deep within them, and I smiled at my father.

"Yes, Papa?" I asked, wondering if he was either going to ask me what I was doing (here and what exactly was I practicing) or if he'd ask about Chiyo's good mood.

It was pretty much a toss up.

He kept quiet, his eyes weighed on me, and I barely refrained from fidgeting.

_What was going on?_

"What happened? What really happened when you went to Kyoya-kun's house?" He asked, in a quiet and somber tone.

**Oh.**

I swallowed on reflex.

This was problematic... I knew he had most certainly noted something was off, even if Chiyo or Takeshi didn't (if for different reasons), and would most likely ask me about it I, kind of, had hoped he wouldn't.

Because I couldn't  ** _outright_   _lie_** to him.

I could give half-truths, no problem about that (I was an expert at giving half-truths), but I couldn't outright lie.

That's how liars get caught in the first place.

But in this precise moment, in a split second, I felt this burning sensation in my chest that said I wouldn't be able to worm my way out of this. And for all my gifts, pulling the wool from over someone that was/is trained to see through that... is not feasible.

_At least, not right now..._

And that left me with one other question I myself had to answer truthfully.

Did I  _want_ to lie to him?

Papa wasn't Vongola. He was a... retired hitman? I dunno, Asa's memories don't really touch on that and he was not a prominent charac-...  **person**  on those... memories. He could help me, us, figure this whole situation out. He was an ally, of sorts, in this whole mess.

But, of course there was a but, he was also my parent. (And didn't that bring up the awful realization that he was my only living parent.) And I knew well enough that parents would do anything for their children.

I'd witness it with Isaia.

I saw it through Asa.

And I was living it right now.

Parents do anything for their child, even if that meant doing the worst for them, namely locking me up or forbiding me from starting a fight that had the potential to grow out of hand pretty quickly.

... Who was I kidding, of course it was going to grow out of hand!

And that not outright frightened me but left me very uncomfortable. Because that meant I couldn't really trust him to keep a level head and keep things from perspective. Because he would worry.

He would not see me as the Temporale, he'd see me as his son.

_And I_ wasn't _his son._

.

( ** _This is not my first life..._** )

.

( ** _I was_ never _meant to be born..._** )

.

I was the Temporale... Any other name or identity I have or had might as well be a mask.

No one exists, truly exists, other than the Temporale and the Storms. I would willingly keep this thoughts to myself and spare the others the heartbreak of these questions and answers but I could not hide from them.

I was tongue-tied.

**How to say what I _had_  to say, without saying what I  _wanted_  to say and have them  _hear_  what _they_  wanted to hear?**

There was no way around this.

No way to keep my tongue still without having him question my response, or to speak without causing him worry.

_This is all too much..._

**I don't want this...**

_Too much..._

**I don't know what to say to him...**

.

.

.

_I want..._

**What _do_  I want?**

There's not place for me to go and hide, no matter how much I wish for it, and how sad is it that I want to hide from my own home?

This is  **MY**   _home_. This should be  **MY**   _sanctuary_ , just like it had been before this whole thing started, but it's not.

Because I have to wear a mask even in here...

I can't talk to anyone in here without causing trouble for others.

\- But there was a place where you had just that. - The whisper calmly said,- It seems unlikely that you've forgotten about it.-

_The Prairie... With_ Vasco _._

He couldn't understand me.

We spoke two different languages, out tongues could talk and spill our lives and worries and fears out to the world around us but neither would understand the other.

And yet... That was just how we understood each other best.

**No** mask **. No** fear **. No** lies **.**

I was free as a bird trapped in an illusion. The shackles still there, merely invisible, and that should bother me.

But I held no idealistic dream that ' _freedom_ ' existed for us Storms.

We would always be feared, even if subconsciosly, and it would be wrong (to us and them) to forget that. But maybe, instead of allowing that fear to guide and restrict us, we could... pretend nothing else but that small piece of paradise existed.

_A world within a world._

**A heaven within a hell.**

"Natsu?" Father's voice breaks my line of thought," What happened?"

I look up to him, not really remembering when it was that I had lowered my head, and spoke softly, my voice sounding louder in the quiet room.

"I ran into Kyoya."

_I ambushed him on the street. As a joke,_ of course _._

"I went to his house."

_He dragged me across town to his house for tea._

"We talked on our way there, he was... aloof."

_He was distracted, he was worried, and I didn't know why or what to do._

"When we got to his house, I met someone."

_There was chaos everywhere and I saw someone I had thought I wouldn't see in such place._

"I met his younger cousin, he's visiting."

_I met Raniero again. (How many times has it been now?) He's staying confined in Kyoya's house._

"He was... intriguing."

_He was wild, uncontrolled and quite frankly terrifying._

"We fought."

_He attacked me on instinct._

"Kyoya stopped him, though."

_Kyoya had to knock him down._

"He was... different... than other kids I've met."

_He's special, Papa. So special, you have no idea._

"But... He hates me."

_He can't control himself, he's in constant agony, and I don't know how to help him._

"And I don't want him to hate me."

_I want to hug him and hide him from the world, to smother the hurt right out of him, I want to protect him._

"I... I want to be his friend."

_I need him here._ **Safe** _._

Father's gaze stays locked with mine for a while, when he finally looks aways it's with a sigh and I feel the guilt of lying to him crawl all over my back and scratch at my heart.

"I'm sure everything will turn out alright, sport. So, why don't you go bother your brother and Chiyo for a little while?" He smiles.

I pull a smile over my mask, flinching at the crack in the mirror, and give him a quiet but happy reply.

"Okay!"

.

.

.

_**Nothing is okay... I need... I...** _

* * *

The rest of the day passed in an almost boring way.

We practiced using our abilities, and Takeshi was invited to go over some kids' house to play some game, he stayed over dinner and was returned a bit before bedtime.

And now, as I layed down to sleep and forget my worries about everything, my mind was going nuts.

Like a saw constantly buzzing, my ears rang and I felt constricted.

_I couldn't breathe right._

The air weighted like stones down on me and I could only grip my sheets and close my eyes.

_I was scared._

_I was panicking._

And I knew exactly what to do in situations like these. I'd been through them before, this was nothing new.

Yet I did nothing to stop this from happening.

In a sick way of getting my thoughts out of my head I let my heart and lungs constrict and hurt.

_I didn't want this._

But I also saw an exit to my troubles through it.

My thoughts just vanished, my mind grew quiet of whispers or taunts, though loud with buzzing and numbness.

Like I was drown-...

-  **NO**! - A shout pierced through my head like a hot knife through butter,- This is  **NOT**  what you want!-

_It isn't, is it? I know that._

\- Then stop this! - It shouted.

_Make me._

-  **ARGH**! - The frustrated shout was warbbled and stressed.

All of a sudden there's this cold intake of hair in my lungs and this odd sensation on my forehead...

Light sprouts around me, like I had turned on a nightlight and it iluminated my bed and curtains.

_Wait..._

I look down on my arms, the scars I have there were thick and darker than they usually are... They look just like they did when I touched the fl-...

I look up at my forehead to see a mess of colorful flames sprouting from it. The flames are purple, but halfway through turn blue and the tips crackle green. As the flames move they shimmer a piercing orange.

I can almost hear the flames hum.

_So strange..._

\- You are without a doubt the most ridiculously difficult and insufferable idiot, I've ever had to look after! - A voice, not whisper, said. It's tone indicated that it was not happy with me, not happy at all.

I turned, on instinct towards the voice, truly expecting to be faced with an empty space just like every time the whispers spoke.

I was not expecting to see a pure white fox, with no distinctive features other than a white porcelain mask on its' head, to be sitting primly at the foot of my bed.

.

.

.

_What?_

\- Truly, in all my years of existence, I have never been faced with a Temporale as... as... puzzling as you! - The voi-... fox spoke. It's tone was soft but angry and annoyed, and I was startled to realize I recognized it.

The first whisper.

"You've got to be kidding me..." I muttered, my eyes dropping from their wide eyed state and I let my head fall back to my pillow.

\- Do you have any idea of what you might've done?! - The fox angrily asked.

"No, and why should I know?" I answered," Do you expect me to have all the answers and solutions to everything?" I asked, eyes narrowing further.

\- No, I do not. But I have the right to at least expect you to act your age and not like a child! - The fox said.

The urge to scream that I  _was_  a child was strong. Like nails on a chalkboard, the shriek almost left me, but I held back.

I wasn't a child. Not really...

And even if I was... I wouldn't be for long.

"How am I supposed to act? Like an all-knowing leader who shows no fear or hesitation? Who protects everyone without worrying about himself? Or like the greatest fighter this world has ever seen?" I sarcastically ask, eyes narrowing into slits and my already startling light eyes glowing brighter.

The fox was about to answer but I angrily cut it off.

"Well, news flash for you, I am none of those things!" I quietly scream at it, afraid of waking up Takeshi," I am scared, terrified of the thought of having to step out onto the streets and running into some random person who'll recognize me as a Storm."

"I live in  _constant_  fear that any one of us is going to mess something up and this quiet peace is going to shatter. I am scared that they are going to hurt someone, accidentally or not, because I know, somehow, that doing so is going to break them."

"I want to protect them, I want to be their shield, but by Kami I am scared that I'm going to die doing so. You know why?! Because, no matter how many times you say I am the Temporale, the strongest of the Storms and their leader, I'm... just  _ **me**_."

The last word was little more than a broken sob.

I want to cry, but I can't.

I want to break down and just curl up under a rock and hide, but I can't.

The others  _need_  me. They  _need_  me to be strong for them.

My family  _needs_  me to be there, to keep smiling and showing them that no matter what we can keep standing strong.

_But..._

_**I'm faltering.**_  I'm doing little more than repeating the motions that are required of me and stumbling over the steps that I want to do. Because I don't know how to do them, and I have no one that can show them to me.

Isaia... Isaia is said, by the whispers, to be the epitome of what Temporales should be like.

Someone that went through everything life could through at it and kept going, coming out on top.

But what they forget was that Isaia got to the top because he was being supported by people who had had the same experiences as him.

Isaia was not the one that convinced Nero and Nico to join the two of them...

**That was Pace.**

Isaia found Nero and fought him. And they fought constantly for over a week before Pace turned to Nico and they stopped them and talked things through.

They are correct that it was Isaia that gave them the option to join them, but Pace was the one that kept the order.

At least until Isaia could do that on his own.

_I don't have that._

Chiyo loves to fight and something in me tells me that burdening her with my problems is only going to make her feel worse.

Taro is  _ **NOT**  _ready to know the full story about the Storms.

Elias... Elias is, strangely, sheltered. I really have no other word to describe it.

She is, by far, the most child-like out of all of us. Like nothing has ever went wrong for her and that is in itself a warning sign that I should keep a lookout for something.

**Vasco.**

Where to start with him?

First off, he's halfway across the globe. Secondly, he can't understand a word I'm saying, and third... Third, he can't help me.

Because I don't know him enough to burden him with my problems and expect him to shoulder them when I hold nothing for him.

I can't burden anyone, because they are already bearing so much over them.

**I've _taken_  their freedom.**

**I've _taken_  their normal lives.**

**.**

**_Why_  ** **must I take their** hope **away too?**

\- You are an idiot. - The fox sighed.

"Takes one to know one." I grumble, half heartedly, feeling exhausted.

\- This is unlike you... - The fox murmured quietly,- A side I've never seen.-

"I'm always like this..." I say, and ain't  _ **that**  _just a fantastic realization.

\- No, not this you. - The fox replies,- The you I know is always... less emotional, let's say.-

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused and rather dreading its' answer.

\- The you I know has always had a more calculating impersonal perspective on things that were not the Storms," The fox said,- I believe the saying was 'You lose some, to gain some'? You always sacrificed something in order to bring the better outcome of the situation.-

"That's not me." I say.

\- No, that is the furthest thing possible from this you. - The fox nods,- And I guess this should become a learning experience for all of us.-

"A learning experience?" I choke," You're going to treat this as some sort of experience?!"

\- No. - The fox barks,- I am going to treat this as a completely new, never witnessed before event, in which I have no idea of the possible outcome. If that makes you feel better. - It adds the last part with a shrug.

I blink at it.

I close my eyes and groan, my hand coming up to touch the shimmering flames that are slowly diminishing.

_Just great._

It can't get any worse than this.

.

.

.

_Right?_

* * *

Come morning, the fox was gone and the whispers were quiet.

And I had absolutely no idea of what I was going to do. Chiyo was bouncing off the walls and Takeshi was starting to feel curious about the reason why, while Papa was starting to look at me suspitiously.

That's the last thing I need.

So, I did what I have always done best.

(And still do.)

I winged it.

I called Taro's house, sweet-talked his mother into letting him come play at our house by himself (so we could meet him on the way here and change paths to Kyoya's) and then, after much consideration, I called Elias.

My words changed a bit, and by now I've forgotten what it was I said exactly, but the gist of it was that, 'Hey, we are about to do something really stupid and dangerous without a single backup plan, I'd appreciate if you could come but you don't have to. Oh, and if you do please bring a first aid-kit. Gut feeling, you know?'

And that was how she showed up at my house not a full ten minutes later with a small medical backpack (disguised as a pink flower) and this kind smile on her face, that totally did not make a whimper escape me.

And with a cheery wave at Papa and Takeshi off we went to our doom.

Taro was confused by everything and I honestly did not have to courage to tell him what was going on, and let him sweat it all while Chiyo was crackling like a mad-woman from right beside him.

Elias was giving me looks, which I pointedly ignored, and after a while just sighed and cocked her head to the side, as if she was listening to something far off.

Just like before, the walk down to Kyoya's house was surprisingly short, with the comic effect that Taro paled drastically once he saw where we were headed exactly.

With a last wave goodbye to my sanity, I knocked on the wooden door and waited until a disgruntled Kyoya opened the door, there was the muffled sounds of trashing around going on in the background and Taro (who most certainly heard it) swayed dizzily, Chiyo's grip on his shoulder and the blinding grin she had on her face did not help either.

Kyoya's eyes focused on me, then on the rest of my party and his nose wrinkled.

Oh, yeah...  _Crowding_.

"Hey, Kyoya! We came to play with Yurei, he's here right?" I smiled.

Kyoya twitches, his eyes focus on me again, and his eyebrow rises up to his hairline.

I could pratically  _sense_  his incredulity.

"I'm not joking, I even brought Chiyo for good measure, and Elias for patching up." I kept smiling.

Finally, Kyoya's lip curls just the slightest, and he steps away to give us entry.

"Finally ready to turn into a carnivore?" He lightly asks.

"Nope, I have no idea of what I'm doing right now." I then smile even more brightly," But it's just a game, how bad can it be?"

Kyoya's answering smirk did little to comfort Taro, who looked seconds away from passing out.

* * *

"Natsu! Natsu, what's going on?" Taro was shaking me, desperation in his eyes.

"Oh, you know... Kyoya's cousin is a Storm (Yeah, I know, surprise!) and he's not...  _cooperative_ , let's say, so we, that is you, Chiyo and I are going to run circles around him, tire him out and then sit on him and make him be friends!" I answer him with the most serious expression I could pull off without breaking down into laughter.

_We were_ **so** _dead._

And it just felt...  _hilarious_.

The irony of the situation was lost on me, personally, but I was sure that this was karma.

Taro's response was little better than my own.

"You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're joking." He whispered, eyes wide as saucers.

"Nope~! Sorry, Taro-chan~ We are going to fight!" Chiyo's happy grin and excited little dance was very amusing, or well... It would be if it was in any other situation that did not involve us basically face off against a kid who would waste no thought about beating us to the ground.

"Now, before you freak out, Taro. You are not going to be on the offensive, that's all Chiyo, I need you to try and shield Chiyo and to create as many ice barriers as you can before you exhaust yourself to keep Yurei as furthest away as you can from us." I instruct the scared boy.

"Chiyo, your job is to tire him out the fastest you can, under no circunstance are you to engage in close combat, do you understand?" I waited until I had her nod to continue," Yurei is strong, not physically strong but Storm strong, if he hits you, physically hits you, your best bet will be a broken bone if not worse." I somberly told her.

"That warning goes to all of us, we are not to get close to Yurei. If he's within range you turn tail and flee, do you both understand that?" I ask them.

I see their nods, Taro's terrified expression and Chiyo's calculating one.

"I'm going to stay right by Taro's side, Chiyo, so I have full trust in your abilities, hence why I asked Seth to come along, which is why I'm letting you take offenive all by yourself. Taro needs to have someone backing him up, otherwise Yurei would pounce on him in a flash, and I honestly hope to come out of this one with minimal injuries." I say.

"Elias and Kyoya are both staying on the sidelines of this one, Elias to get us out if any one of us is injured, like if you can't get back up again, and Kyoya will intervene if it gets too much out of hand, he said it would look back if a bunch of kids died in his backyard." I smile ruefully.

Taro manages a weak smile in response.

Chiyo just pouts.

"Finally, the reason need to tire him out is because, once he's tired out it will be easier to approach him. This is still a game of 'tag', or so everyone else in this household believes, and that is also our cover-story once we go back home (before or after having to be carried out to the hospital), so I, as the leader, have to 'tag' him to end the game." I explained.

"And for Yurei to 'win' he needs to 'tag' you?" Taro asks.

"Yes, and that's where it gets complicated, I've already met Yurei, and last time he lost no time in pouncing on me to tear me apart, so Chiyo, you have to be ready to attack as soon as he walks out of those doors, and Taro... Get a shield ready." I sigh.

We all step out into the big backyard that was the definition of traditional japanese and I winced at the thought of how damaged it would be by the end of this. Elias and Kyoya were sitting on the porch, with Kyoya driking tea calmly (the nerve of him) with two hesitant maids holding a door closed.

At my nod, Kyoya made a quick gesture and the maids let the door slam open.

Yurei's angry eyes locked with mine and for a second nothing happened.

**_And then he grinned..._ **

* * *

Ten minutes.

In ten minutes I could no longer describe this scenario other than utter chaos. Sand was spilling everywhere, with snakes striking out as soon as the wild golden eyed boy moved in and out of the frey.

Chiyo was completely focused, a rare sight, and the grin she had on her lips, so similar to Yurei's own, was terrifying. Her hair was messy and windswept, her clothes dirty and sandy from more than a drop and roll technique she had used to dodge one of Yurei's attacks.

Yurei was the same, if slightly more sandy, and he wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

I was getting worried that fighting him was only feeding into his power.

_Adrenaline in a Storm was not something to take lightly._

Taro was doing a great job, I felt really proud of how far he'd come since the first time he tried to use his abilities, creating barriers or small bumps hidden in the sand that tripped Yurei, letting one or two snakes strike out. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a range yet and I noticed he was growing tired quickly.

**Worrying.**

I'd have to up on stamina training.

_Severely._

Not that I was doing much better, my abilities had yet to manifest outside of my mind or in actual combat, with the only actual evidence of their destructive power having been done on adrenaline fueled emotional breakdown, that helped no one in this situation.

Hence why I was merely weaving in and out of attacks directed at me, and pulling Taro around to keep him safe.

And although I was confident we could win this.

_I was growing tired too._

**Ten minutes.**

I felt upset that we were lasting so little time, if we faced off against the mafia ten minutes would be a death sentence. We had to become stronger, we had to become faster.

We needed to be able to do more than just dodging and throwing random attacks and hoping they'd hit.

_We needed_   _more_.

And when I saw Chiyo stumble and fall, the gleam in Yurei's eyes as he was about to jump on the opening she had given him, I knew...

We needed more  **NOW**.

I took off running, perhaps the subconscious part of me remembered to not leave a teammate behind since my hand clamped down on Taro's and I dragged him with me, and I was counting the seconds it would take for him to strike her against the ones it would take me to reach them.

The odds weren't looking good.

And I just willed it, I just...  _thought_...

**If, in _this_  very moment, I was to  _do_  something... I ** wanted **to reach him.**

I wanted to grab him by the shirt and shake him out of his funk, to yell at him that I was here and that he had no need to be afraid.

_We'd look out for him._

I did not notice my eyes blazing, I took no notice of the flames that burst out of my forehead and I saw little to none of the reactions that caused around me, I merely saw Chiyo turn wide eyed at me, Yurei to flinch and take notice that I was right there, his grin and golden eyes victorious before the world turned black and white.

.

.

.

It was like a fairy tale, one could say... With merely a touch everything just turned out okay. Our happy ever after ending.

.

But I know  **better**.  _ **We**  _know better.

Because we have to, we cannot believe such childish fantasies.

**_We know..._ **

.

.

.

_**There's no happy ever after.** _

**The day ended in screaming.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other than that, the reason for the more somber parts is coming up. Natsu now knows they're inside KHR and that changes everything, because whereas before he could ignore something now he cannot, because he knows that that something is going to be important.
> 
> Natsu's reactions and emotional turmoil is going to have its ups and downs. Biologically Natsushi is three years old, going on four, and his body reacts to things like any child would.
> 
> But mentally, and here's the kicker, he's (doing quick math) 18 going on 19. Asa was 16, she already had her problems, and she was traumatised by what happened, remembering his own death that young was traumatising, and even if he doesn't show it, he needs a shoulder to cry on.
> 
> Had Mariko not died, she would've been able to comfort him, because a mothers' comfort is something words can't really explain, but with her death on top of his own disturbing discovery just piled more things on top of him.
> 
> And them come the responsabilities of being the Temporale.
> 
> Knowledge that no child should have.
> 
> And the fact that he must toe the line regarding what he does or says. He can't just tell someone what is happening, because (and that's perhaps what's sadder) he does not know who to trust.
> 
> You must remember that, same as most of us that don't remember KHR with 100% accuracy on how exactly everything went, to background characters to scenery or even how the thought bubbles looked like, Asa doesn't either.
> 
> And Asa read KHR when she was around 12 years old. And never again touched that series.
> 
> If it was a character or plot that was really important, Asa might remember it, but with time the memories are faded and Natsu is freaking out because, like he said, if he changes something there's no way knowing what that will do.


	36. Part II - Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Age Chart:  
> Natsushi - 3 (Birthday: July 24th)  
> Chiyo - 3 (Birthday: June 30th)  
> Taro - 3 (Birthday: April 6th)  
> Elias - 7 (Birthday: January 4th)  
> Yurei - 5 (Birthday: December 8th)  
> Vasco - 9 (Birthday: September 14th) * Funny enough, he accidentally shares birthdays with Hayato*  
> Red - ? (Still not featured, you ain't gonna know)

For a moment, a single fleeting moment, there was nothing. It wasn't the all-absorving void I had felt coming from that little orange flame kid, from who I could now recognize as a younger Tsunayoshi, but just a... kind of comforting nothing. It was like a warm blanket around you reassuring you that you were safe.

That nothing could hurt you.

_**Then the memories came.** _

Like a sudden cold surge of water, it swept away everything in its path. It tore through us and dragged us under, all the air left our lngs and we were left drowing.

Down...

_Down..._

**Down...**

The first memory was a simple cry, blurred shapes and an intake of cold air.

A birth... A beginning.

Then there were jumbled snippets of growth, a first smile, a first step, a first word. In almost every memory there was a woman of beautiful blond hair, but no features.

A blank face.

Scribbled out, almost as if someone had  _forcefully_   **erased**  it from the memories.

The memories, of course, went on as usual. A perfectly normal life.

Until it all went sideways, in the actual sense of the word.

We were startled when everything suddenly jerked and shifted. The memories affecting the mindscape of Yurei, (which, even if I didn't know it at the time, was the exact place we were standing in).

It all  _started_  with a shove, followed by slurred words of apologies and coos.

Later it was a yell and a sharp slap, the same apologies followed.

It all just escalated from there. We were merely observants to what followed next, we were separated from each other, though we were vaguely aware of their presence, so we could not even comfort ourselves.

_**We** **just** _ **watched...**

And, maybe, that's what made it worse. The knowledge of what had happened might've not been as heavy if we had not seen it through his own eyes. If we had not been there to see it maybe...

Maybe we would've never the selfless bond we forged.

**.**

(But was it worth it? For the chance of being inseparable did we all have to suffer? _ Was it all worth it, in the end?_)

**.**

The reasoning behind what followed, the reason why  _this_  started, was lost somewhere in the fractured memories of a forgotten child.

**He was _so_  young...**

Agony flared inside me, my heart cried out, my mind screamed in rage.  _My soul called for blood._

A wave of chilling fury took over me. It was just a spark, a wisp of a barely lit candle.

But it blazed into a hellish flaming spire that climbed higher and higher into my psyche when I saw for myself, with my very own eyes, the death of my Tormenta.

_Small_...  **He was so, so small.**

Shorter than me, his head would've barely reached my ear, with dark hair and crystalline blue eyes. His body was skin and bones, a scruffy too-big shirt was falling off his thin form and he layed there, on the dirt and soiled floor, motionless.

He had been too tired, too thirsty, too  _ **hungry**_...

No one noticed he had died until the flies set in.

_It was all too much..._

It was too much!

**WHY?!**

**WHY DO THEY _SUFFER_?!**

**WHY CAN'T THEY _LIVE_  IN PEACE?!**

Rage bubbled in my gut and thunder rumbled in my ears. Blood pulsed in my hands and my heart thundered.

The memories broke off and replayed, once, twice, thrice, no rhythm or rhyme or reason to how it replayed.

A broken record.

A  ** _broken_  **record...

That word, that wretched word mocked me, echoed inside the nothingness and broke the figurative's camel's back.

The last straw.

The final nail in the coffin.

I  ** _snapped_**.

(Anger. Hatred. Fury. Vengeance. Hurt.)

I screamed.

The nothingness broke apart in a flash of light, the flash of a lightning and the loud crackles of electricity. My eyes were aflame, glowing and blazing, and I set my sight on the pale, stunned dark haired boy in front of me.

His golden eyes were blazing purple, swirling like lazy dark clouds, and tears streamed down his face. Beside me, a boy with red hair and wide, horrified, fearful eyes blazed a bright blue, tears prickled in the corners of his eyes and his lip trembled.

A girl reaches for me, I remember that, indigo blazing eyes confused and hesitant.

Further back, another girl, this time with wide burning yellow eyes shouts in warning, too late to prevent what was about to happen, but observant enough to know something was wrong.

I fall to my knees, disturbing the dirt and raising clouds of dust, a cry or whimper tries to leave me, I didn't sob, but it doesn't get the chance. The anger and cold fury were too strong.

_The burning spire of hatred surges once more._

A hand lands on my shoulder and my control snaps.

**MAKE THEM PAY!**

" **Scottare**. " The word rolls off my tongue, foreign and sweet. (Sear.)

(The first look into the monster inside me, I always found it suprisingly easy to cause devastating damage with minimal care.)

_Lightning flashes._

My fury loudly roars over the skies, a challenge in its echo, and the skies darken.

**Screams surround me.**

A sudden downpour.

My eyes close in exhaustion as the smell of ozone hits my nose.

* * *

Despite my young age, waking up in a hospital room was not as uncommon as it should be. Papa not being there beside me when I woke up was new, but I dismissed it as having to go check in on Takeshi and Chiyo, or simply out to go to the bathroom or something.

I tend to sleep a lot more than the others when I'm hurt, so I'm always the last one to wake up.

Unusual, but not really something that bothered me, him not being here.

Now, waking up to see a bandaged Kyoya sitting on the chair beside me, staring intently at his hands and having the pure white fox from before laying down at my feet, was definitle the craziest, scariest and the rarest experience I had.

(At that age, at least.)

"Kyoya...?" I ask, blinking, confused.

Was I seeing straight?

His head snaps up and his eyes stare at me with a glint in them.

"What are you doing here? Are you okay?" I ask him, alert to the weird tension that was settling in.

The glint in his eyes worries me, but seeing Kyoya without some sort of eye glint was uncommon, and something in me told me it was safe.

"Do you remember what happened?" Kyoya asks instead.

Remember... what happened? My brows are drawn together and I close my eyes in thought.

I remember going to his house. I remember the fight starting. Rentaro and Chiyo's progress... Dark clouds...

Then I recall the lightning and rumbles of thunder, what those meant and how they came to be.

My eyes fly open and I panic, a burn in my chest starts, and as I panic eletricity crackles at my fingers and the scars in my arms grow darker and larger.

I startle and the sparks grow, the lights around me flicker.

My mind stutters to a halt and my panic just keeps on growing.

Larger hands grip mine tightly, through the contact I feel him wince and the awful smell of burnt flesh is sickening.

I look up to see Kyoya's silver eyes locked in mine, he's grimacing in discomfort, his hands still holding mine.

"K-Kyoya...?" I ask quietly, my voice wavers," What did I do?"

He keeps looking into my eyes, searching for something, before settling on a blank faced mask, though the discomfort and hesitation lingered, and sighing.

"You caused a black out in the town, no electricity for little over a day, overcharged the powerlines. And..." He hesitates again.

"And?!" I squeak," I hurt them... I  _hurt_  them didn't I? Kyoya, tell me!" I cry out.

"You shocked them." Kyoya says, plainly," You burned Ritsushima's hand and that herbivore's. Yurei and the blond got zapped, Yurei moreso, but nothing a band-aid couldn't cover. They were relatively unharmed." He answered.

I shivered.

_I had hurt Chiyo._

_I had_ burnt _Rentaro's hand?_

_**I**  _had  _ **hurt**  _them all.

Inside my stomach a small ball of dread grew cold and started to roll around, making me uneasy and sick.

The smell of burnt flesh couldn't leave my nose, I gagged and tried to break free of Kyoya's grip.

Kyoya's grip... He was touching me...

**NO!**

_**Nononononononononononononononono!** _

**He can't touch me!**

_If he does, he'll get hurt! He'll get hurt too. I'll hurt him... I_ **will** _..._

**No, please, I don't want to hurt anyone.**

My panic grew stronger, I trashed around wildly, babbling nonsense as I tried to get Kyoya away. Tears poured out of my eyes and I felt, through a small corner of my mind, the pull at my core, releasing flames into my body.

Crackles of energy at my fingertips and my arms were almost instantly covered with large, dark, jagged scars. They looked like branches of blooming flowers running all the way up my forearms and around my wrist. In my left hand they bloomed over the back of my hand as well.

The smell of ozone drowned out the smell of flesh but did little to help me calm down.

The machines connected to me had fried due to the energy surge and there was this pulse inside me that begged for release.

A flash of lightning before my eyes made me close them and try to curl up, cover my ears and wait it out.

But I  _couldn't_.

If the height difference between Kyoya and I wasn't already noticeable, him dragging me out of bed and into his lap, where my head reached his jaw, was a big hint. His arms snaked around me, keeping me in place, and he hushed me.

I kept trying to tell him to let me go but he just hushed me. His tone booking no arguments.

It was...  _ **different**_.

Kyoya was possibly the last person,  _ever_ , that you would think would even allow others to seek comfort from him. But here he was...

**Why?**

The question filtered in my mind but just as quickly was dismissed, burried under my emotional upveal. And by the time I managed to connect the dots on what had happened, a while later, I already knew why and, most importantly, why he seemed to be less fridgid all round.

_No words had been spoken by either of us._

( **But a bond is a bond, and once made, it can _never_  be broken.**)

By the time Papa had returned, he  _had_  been checking on my siblings, I had, somehow, drifted off to sleep clutching the piece of, now charred, fabric of Kyoya's shirt.

* * *

My dreams were plagued with nightmares.

A tall figure shrouded in darkness, just his mocking grin could be seen, and his taunting words echoing in the emptiness around me.

"How funny! I wonder who you are going to hurt next?" It said.

"I wouldn't cross any bridges if I were you, wouldn't want a repeat of the past!" It laughed.

"Oh, how Mommy would react if she saw you now!" It joked.

"Can you imagine the look of fear she would have in her eyes?" It asked quietly.

_I could..._

Thousands of times I had imagined her eyes staring at me acusingly, glaring at me, as I stood before a falled featureless figure.

But now it was different. It wasn't just Mama that I saw staring down at me.

It was now tens of thousands of blank faced people, then Vongola and other mafiosi I vaguely recognized surrounding me and pointing fingers.

'This is why you must be locked away!'

'Can't you see the damage you've made?!'

'Just leave!'

'Get away from me!'

' **Monster**!'

'What have you done to him?!'

And the figure at my feet?

It changed... Every so often I would see Chiyo or Taro. Sometimes I would see a tearful and frightened Takeshi, other times it would be a disappointed Papa.

Once I had even seen a hateful Kyoya and Vasco.

A empty eyed Elias had, by far, been the most terrifying. The halo of red around her head, the smell of burning flesh and the wounds I visualized on her body made me feel sick.

And Samael taunted me once again.

'Can't you look at your own artwork?'

'You did this, ya' know? Least you could do was look at her!'

'Well, ain't that a pretty scenario?'

His words never stopped, my sight swimmed and spun, and I would feel sick all over again.

By the time I woke up the next day, I would be shaking and tired, drenched in cold sweat, and very morose.

Takeshi grew distressed and worried with each passing day, but I couldn't assure him I was alright.

I felt...  _Disconnected_.

Ha! Wasn't it funny?

I wasn't injured in the whole affair, the electric current didn't really harm me, just passed through me like nothing, and instead of facing the ones that had been hurt and confront the problem head on, I was in shock.

I was in shock, wasn't that fantastic?

Chiyo had tried to snap me out of it but the Chiyo-like fashion she had tried to use, a method that was just so Chiyo I wasn't really surprised, just ended up with me zapping her again.

Consequently I had freaked out again and ended up busting three lightbulbs and a heater.

Papa hadn't been happy about that one but he didn't do anything else than to sigh and proceed to try and calm me down. Though the next day he did go out and bought a pair of protector high voltage gloves.

Which he had proceeded to place on me and tape them down around my arms so I wouldn't be able to take them off, for whatever reason I might've thought of doing just that.

Takeshi had asked why I needed to wear those gloves and Papa had spun a whole tale about me having swallowed some batteries that were now making me ' _overcharged_ '.

I would've thought he was laying it on a bit too thick for Takeshi, but I shut my mouth when my brother actually bought it.

Even Chiyo looked at Takeshi like he was an interesting specimen. Like, seriously...?

You eat batteries and become 'overcharged'?

_What?_

_**How does he** _ **even** _**...?** _

... It's just so Takeshi, I'm speachless.

Alas, apart of the gloves there really wasn't much Papa could do. What could he possibly say that would make me feel better?

Oh, he  _tried_. But, 'it was an accident' or 'it was not your fault' wouldn't help me here.

There was also the fact that Papa himself wasn't very happy with me at the moment, guess lying about what we would be doing over Kyoya's house and who exactly his cousin was, would qualify as reasons for him to be mad at me.

And that was without putting our usage of our abilities outside of the safe enviroment of our backyard and in front of 'strangers' in the equation.

So, it was December 6th and I was sprawled over the floor of the playroom, staring at my gloved hands and feeling the power, the electric current, coursing underneath them.

If I closed my eye, I could see with perfect clarity the purple-ish, blue/green flames move alongside my veins. I could even see the faint, ever so faint, shade of flames that covered every inch of my scars.

If Vongola ever saw them, or at the very least someone with a specialty in sensing flame remnants, they would instantly know that there was a flame user in Namimori, or, if they recognized the flames, that a Storm was nearby.

Or they would identify me as such Storm.

_**F-...** _

"Okay, you know what, kanin, this is getting stupid." Elias voice makes me blink and turn my head to the side to see her stand, exasperated, in the doorway of the playroom. (a/n. Kanin = Bunny)

Her hair was tied in twin braids, which fell over her shoulders, though, due to them being so messy and toussled, I could see that Elias wasn't really happy with them.

She had her arms crossed and her frown was odd to see.

Elias rarely, if ever, became this annoyed. Even Takeshi's hilarious dislike of her barely fazed her anymore.

"I'm going to say this  ** _once_** , Natsushi, you will get off your butt and talk to Chiyo or I will take  _measures_  to make sure you get it out of your sistem!" She spoke so fast I barely managed to understand her words.

_Take measures?_  What are  _ **you**_  going to do?

**Nothing...**   _There's nothing you can do, Elias..._

You're just...  _a kid_.

I sigh and roll over to my side, my back towards her.

**Mistake #1.**

I hear her agravated growl, but choose to ignore it.

**Mistake #2.**

There's this loud sound of clutter being moved aside, but I roll my eyes and cover my head with a pillow that layed not too far from me.

_She'd stop when she got tired._

**Mistakes #3 and #4**  came when Elias stopped at my feet, I turned my eyes to peak at her, and gave me one last chance.

"Get  _up_." She had said.

" _Elias_ ,  **enough** , just leave me alone." I groan, covering my head with the pillow again.

That's all it took.

At seven years old, Elias was taller than the average japanese little girl and stronger than them too. I guess she was used to help carry around instruments or simply help around the house.

Hence her lack of stuggle in hoisting me up over her shoulder (which I almost fell off of) and toss me (as gently as her irate self could) into the cupboard that there was in the corner of the playroom (where all the game boxes and toys were placed) before closing the door and  _locking_  it.

Why exactly the toy cupboard had to have a lock was a story for another day, let's just leave it at the side note that Chiyo, sugar and a timeout are a mix of undesirables that should  **never**   **happen**   **again**.

**Ever.**

So, here I was... Sitting inside the dark cupboard, with a flashlight, a packet of crackers and a juicebox, with an innocently placed toy phone staring back at me with a goofy smile, that looked positively devilish in the darkened space, hearing Elias say she'd be back after practice, along with Chiyo, and that Takeshi was going over to his friends' house.

The worse part was that, Papa was rather busy (I could hear the clients laugh and joke around the shop, talking about their lives to a laughing Papa) so I had to sit here and wait for Elias to be back, because  _of course_  she had to take the key with her.

What she expected me to have done by the time she was back?

**_Talk._ **

To.

The.

Damn.

_**Phone.** _

.

.

.

**Like hell! T** **his ain't happening!**

_I was too_ old _for this!_

Kicking the door, the wooden door, didn't work and nothing would budge.

On the brightside, the fact that Papa wasn't there to hear the string of explicits that left my mouth was probably for the best. I didn't know if he could understand english and I had no desire to find out.

Huh...

This was going to be a long wait...

The toy phone silently stared back at me.

I glared.

" _ **Wha' at**_ **you**   _ **looking at?!**_ " I snapped.

* * *

Two hours.

I have been sitting here for two hours, in the silence, with only by heartbeat and sighs for company. I had tossed the phone to the other corner of the cupboard and it was now laying there upside down.

I pondered on eating the crackers but I wasn't particularly hungry and I there were two more hours to go before the girls returned, Takeshi would probably end up sleeping at his friends house, and Papa was still working.

Hearing the clients wasn't bad, their banter helped ease the silence, but the conversation topics (work, nagging wives, spoiled kids and lazy bosses) weren't really that interesting to me.

Worse, I had no desire in calling the fox or the whisper to talk to me, so I had way too much time to think of things I didn't want to be thinking of.

Taro hadn't been to our house ever since we fought Yurei.

His mother, Chiyo had told me, had been livid that he had gotten eletrocuted whilst playing at Kyoya's house, which his mother didn't knew about and was very upset I had lied about where we would be at.

I hadn't seen either Yurei and Kyoya either, except at the hospital.

Elias would come and go, like she had just done, but never stayed for long.

Such was the lack of a Temporales' presence amongst Storms. Without me there to ' _glue_ ' the pieces together, they would stray further away from each other. Never too far but enough so they didn't cross paths too often.

_Christmas was coming soon._

It was a completely different season in Japan, now that I remembered Asa's life, and I was rather, strangely, hopeful to eat mince pies again, which would be impossible because they were not served here.

The alternative would need me to ask Papa to either make them or look for someplace that would make them. And that would take me having to explain just how I knew about mince pies and why I desperately wanted to eat them.

That and why I thought that eating KFC as a christmas dinner was utterly ridiculous.

Huh...

Asa's life...

I wonder...  _How her family is?_

I mean... How long as it been? Between me dying and reincarnating here?

Does time run differently? Faster or slower?

Asa... she never got to say goodbye. That...  _That hurts._

Mama never got to say goodbye either. I wonder what she would say to them, if she could.

But she couldn't... Asa didn't exist anymore. Now...

**Now it was just me.**

I rested my head against the side of the cupboard, my gloved hands resting on my lap, and I closed my eyes.

My heartbeat was calming, somewhat, and I breathed slowly letting myself 'float' in the darkness.

I didn't dwell to much inside of it.

Opening my eyes, they fell once more on the plastic phone in the corner.

_**Ridiculous...** _

Just the thought of talking into it is utterly ridiculous and childish.

_But aren't I a child?_

I'm 18 years old, for Kami's sake!

_But, perhaps, for just a small moment I could pretend to not be that old._

Why would I even do that?

_There's no one here to see... No one here to see you take off your mask..._

Again,  **why**  would I do that?

_Isn't it tiring? To keep it on all the time?_

... That's not the point.

_It is the point! Two hours! When will you have another chance like this? There's no one here to see you or hear you, whatever you say no one will know!_

**...**

_C'mon! Just give it a try?_

**... Ridiculous...**

My hands reach out and grab the toy, placing it on my lap, and I stare at the goofy face of the plastic.

_So embarassing._

I think of someway to start this, not really sure how to proceed to... ' _vent_ ' to a plastic contraption whole sole purpose was to entertain mindless toodlers for a few minutes.

But I digress.  **Literally**.

The gloves were becoming too troublesome, since they were way too big for me (who in their right minds would create high voltage gloves for a three year old anyway) so I simply bit down on the duck tape and tore them off.

The sparks of green electricity were familiar, the way they curled around my hands and spiked up sometimes. The feeling of power in them was...  _amazing_.

Then there was the warm feeling in my chest, the presence of my core, pulsing like a beating heart deep inside me.

As I ponder on what to do next the long forgotten memory of a single phone number shakes me.

So simple... Just a few digits.

Just a few clicks, that's my thought as I press the colorful digits in order.

_I can almost imagine her voice..._

'Hello? Who is this?'

**Mom...**

"M-mom..." I choke back a sob.

'Honey? Are you alright? Have those boys been mean to you again, really youths these days!'

**Aah... Her voice...**

"N-no... Aah... That's not it, m-mom..." The words are foreign on my tongue, though I understand them and remember them, the english syllables and vowels are... weird.

'Hmm, then what is it, Asa?' She would ask, I could picture her frown.

**Such a worrywart.**

"I... I..." I stumble to a stop.

What did I want? What to say to her?

_**Goodbye?** _

How do you say goodbye to someone?

How do you tell them you are dead, but not really, and that you'll never see them again?

How...  _ **How do you break someone's heart without shattering their soul completely?**_

'Asa, honey? Are you okay?' She asks.

"Hey, mom...?" I start, hesitant and scared, quietly.

'Hmm?' She hums.

"I love you, you know that?" My eyes lower to the phone in my lap.

'Of course I do, and I love you too, honey.' She laughs,(such a beautiful laughter),' Where's this coming from?'

"I-I... I... I just wanted to say it to you." I smile, a watery and bitter smile,"Somehow I feel as if I never told you that enough."

'Oh, nonsense, sweetie.' I can see her smile in my mind.

"Mom?" I ask," Do you think you can tell dad and brother that I love them too?"

'Why don't you tell them yourself, when you get home?' Mom would ask.

**Home... I never got back home...**

"I... I'm leaving. I've gotta go... someplace where you won't be able to follow me, no matter how we both wish you could." I answer her, tears threatning to fall from my eyes.

'Asa? Where are you going?' Mom would grip the phone tightly, I can picture it, worry would fill her blue eyes and she would look from side to side, for no apparent reason.

"There's... There's some people that need me there. They need me to be there with them and I want to go with them." I tell her," I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

'Why are you sorry, honey?' She asks.

**Huh?**

"Why am I sorry?" I repeat.

'Yes, Asa. Why are you apologizing, there's no reason to, sweetie.' I can see her smile,' Though I expect you to call me twice a week, you hear me, missy?' She chuckles.

"You're not mad I am leaving?" I ask, my head feels faint.

'Asa... My dearest baby girl...' My mom's voice cracks,' I always knew, as soon as I held you for the first time, that one day I would watch you fly away from the nest.'

_Tears begins to fall down my eyes, my throat clenches._ **It's hard to think.**

"How did you know I would leave?" I ask," How did you accept it?"

**I hear her watery laugh.**

**She's crying...** _But still I picture her smiling._

**Why?**

_How?_

'Asa... You will always be my baby, no matter where you are, and no matter what.' She said,' As for how I know...'

"What? Please tell me, mom." I nearly beg.

'A mother always knows, Asa.' Her smile, her beautiful eyes,' A mother knows the love of her children even when they don't say it, a mother always worries and checks in on their children without question... A mother knows, Asa, _when it's time for that child to go on_.'

**The words hurt.**

_They burn my chest, make my eyes foggy and my eyes swim in tears._

**I'm crying.**

_I'm crying for the death a girl who uttered no pleas to her assailants._

**Who died without a kind word or gesture done in her favor.**

_She died_... And  **I lived**.

**So now, I cry in sorrow...**

_I cry in pain..._

**And I cry in gratitude.**

_For Asa died so I could exist, and I will never be able to pay that debt._

( **A life is a life, there is no price tag in it, and all lives have more worth than any pile of gold.** )

"Then... If you knew, Mom... Why didn't stop me? Why didn't you tell me that that was the last day I would live?" The words leave me, a question I dearly needed answered but didn't really wish to know the answer.

_A sigh..._

**A tired smile...**

'Because, Asa, if I had told you, you would've been too afraid to move on. To live a new life...' She started.

"But I didn't even say goodbye!" I screamed, curling up in a tight ball, tears streaming.

'You didn't?' Mom questions,' Asa, don't you remember? You did say goodbye.' She says.

**What?**

_I said goodbye?_

_' **I kissed my mother goodbye**  and met up with my father as he was coming back from walking the dog on his morning run._

_**I pet Saturday's head and hugged my father**. My brother was just walking out of the house then  **to shout his goodbyes at me.** '_

A memory flashes before me. My eyes fog over with tears.

'You see, Asa? You did say goodbye... You hugged and kissed us and said you'd see us later. Yes, that later might take a long time, it might never arrive, but you said goodbye.' I heard her say.

**I said goodbye.**

_I did._

**I said it.**

'So don't feel as if you owe us something, dear.' She said,' Because there's only one thing that matters.'

"What?" I ask her.

**My throat is raw.**

'That you are happy.' She smiled,' That you are loved.'

**Mom...**

'And you are loved, Asa, no matter what, don't ever forget that.' I heard her say,'Okay?'

"Yeah... I won't forget, mom..." I promised," Goodbye...  _ **I love you**_."

_A smile... A_ blinding _smile._

**Heartfelt words.**

'Goodbye, Asa.' The call shuts down.

_If I spend the next twelve minutes crying, well..._   _No one was there to say for sure._

* * *

When Elias finally got back, she unlocked the door.

To be quite honest, I didn't want to leave the cupboard. I didn't want to let go of the stupid plastic phone with the most creepy smile and stare there could possibly exist and, most of all, I didn't want either of the girls to see my red eyes.

She didn't say a word, Chiyo merely frowned in question, but stepped aside to let me out.

As I got up, my legs somewhat cramped, I saw the bandages on Chiyo's arms.

When she noticed my stare, she tried to cover them, but I was faster and grabbed them.

**My heart ached at her flinch.**

"I'm sorry." I said, her hands in mine. Ungloved hands sparked with electricity but never even inched close to her skin.

Her eyes gleamed with tears.

She turned her face away from me.

"Don't even mention it, Baka-sushi..." She said.

**I smiled.**

_Thank you..._

"Natsu, where are your gloves?" Papa asked, exasperated, by the doorway.

"Somewhere." I grouched.

"You don't want to put them on?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

I look down on my hands.

Looked at the green sparks that would come and go, the same sparks that had Papa worried.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I tell him," I shouldn't be afraid of them, should I?" I ask him.

The internal battle inside him is clear in his eyes.

_He wants me to be a child._

_He knows_ I  **need** _to be strong._

"No... No, you shouldn't." He smiled, his eyes weary," But you know we're here to help you, right?"

I smiled back at him.

"How could I forget?"

_Thank you..._

"Now, Elias-chan~! Are you staying for dinner?" Papa asked with a goofier voice.

She smiled cutely back at him.

"Hn! Who else is going to make sure, Chiyo-chan acts like a lady?" She laughs.

"Arck! As if!" She growls.

I stay silent. There's nothing for me to say.

My eyes lock on this scene, this small piece of heaven I hold in my hands, and I release a world weary sigh.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**_Thank you for everything._ **

* * *

Inside a half-drowned room, where everything layed broken or tossed around uncaringly, the window to the drowned world shimmers and shifts.

The water clears, the walls heal their cracks and paint over themselves once more.

On top of the single upright desk, a small red cellphone materializes.

In the silence, the soft 'chime' sound of the cellphone echoes. Its screen brightens and a simple sentence is written across...

**"Message Received"**

* * *

In a dark, somewhat empty, void where a single star iluminates the non-existent sky. Where the black ground is littered with rocks and little else, where the ground cracks into a huge cliff, a shimmering white fox floats, seemingly talking to itself.

But then it suddenly stops and the void shakes.

\- What has he done now?! - The fox barks, annoyed and about to materialize in the world outside.

But it never gets the chance.

With a blinding light, the shaking stops and the air in the void becomes cleared.

Where once there was nothing, now stood a japanese styled gazebo.

Made of dark wood and with stone halfwalls, it was slightly raised above the gound, two steps allowed entry to the empty interior. It wasn't overly big, though big enough for a small band to play inside.

\- What's this? - The fox approaches the new structure.

\- Wha' he gave now? - A darker whisper asked, - Last time, it was anger and despair... Now what?-

The fox gazed up to the roof of the gazebo where, to its eyes, shimmering white letters formed.

\- Would you look at that...- It said, smiling underneath its porcelain mask,- Seems like he learned something new.-

\- Which is? - The other one asked.

\- Read it for yourself. - The fox barked.

The whisper mutters something under its breath but nonetheless looks up.

**...**

\- What? Nothing to say?- The fox asks, grinning.

\- Boring. - The whisper grouched,- Thought it' was somethin' cooler.-

\- Oh, really?- The fox laughed,- Then why are you smiling like that?-

-  **Smilin?!**  Ya' turning blind in yer' ol' age there,  **Az-...** \- The other whisper yelled.

\- Oh, hush...- The fox jumps into the gazebo and curls up in its interior,- We both know who's the softy of the two.-

\- Argh!- The whisper yells in frustration.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Above the gazebo, in white nearly faded letter, stood a single word.

_**Closure.** _

* * *

To be completely honest with you, when I woke up on that sweet saturday morning, I knew that Papa was already awake due to the smell of eggs and rice in the air. I also knew Takeshi was going to sleep in unless I woke him up and that Chiyo was going to be positively livid if I didn't wake her up on time for breakfast and morning anime.

Even if she would be rather pissed off at me for waking her up.

_**I knew**_  that it was going to be a lazy and simple day.

Probably with one or two attempts at trying to talk with Taro (his mother was still pretty mad at me) but not much else. Kazue-san had said we'd restart practice after Christmas, since she was going on holiday to meet with relatives out of town.

_**Nothing else was supposed to happen.** _

So how is it that not an hour into our peaceful morning, there's a knock on the door that  _changes_   **everything**.

"Natsu! Can you come here, for a minute?" Papa calls me from the entry hall.

"Coming!" I say, getting up from the kotatsu that was once again set up.

My socked feet, two missmatched colorful socks, pitter patter down the hall.

And just as I enter the entry way and go to ask Papa what it was, I am faced with not one but two familiar but unlikely faces.

Kyoya stand closer to Papa by the door, silver narrow eyes locked on the youth slightly in front of him, his hand clamped down on said youths' shoulder.

And said youth?

" _Yurei_...?" I ask.

He shifts from foot to foot, his golden eyes looked annoyed, no...  _nervous_?

_Oh._

Oh!

**Oh, my Kami!**

I couldn't stop the grin from forming on my face even if I tried.

"Yurei, are you  _ **shy**_?" I ask him, slyly.

He's face gains a twinge of pink and his glare burn holes in me.

Oh, he's not happy, but!

**My Tormenta is shy!** Oh, how funny!

"Watcha' doing here?" I ask, skipping towards the two of them.

_Secretly relishing in seeing them both._

"Okaa-sama asked me to take Yurei out and keep him out of troube until they finished the preparations." Kyoya answers.

"Preparations?" I ask, cocking my head to the side.

Yurei's eyes turn to stare at the wall.

"Yurei's birthday." Kyoya answers.

"Aah! Today's your birthday?" I turn towards Yurei and ask him.

His eyes shift from looking back at me and back at the wall, his cheeks turn redder.

"Hn." There's that tick, must be genetic.

I smirk, he's eyes never stay on me for too long.

Kyoya notices and raises an eyebrow but makes no intervention.

Lesson no. 1 around here, Yurei...

**Never take your eyes off your opponent.**

Taking a move out of Elias' social interactions manual, I suddenly lurch forward and wrap my arms around his torso, he's not that much taller than me, maybe two inches or so, and cheekily say:

" _ **Hap**_ py  _ **birth**_ day,  _ **Yuu~**_!"

He freezes like a deer caught in the headlights, I feel his cores rise up at my presence but my heart beats and my flames pulse.

_Its okay. I'm not here to hurt you._

My Tormenta visibly relaxes, though apprehension stays, and to not make things too awkward I let him go and proceed to drag him towards the playroom.

"Chiyo's going to love you being here!" I tell him," Hey, Kyoya, how old is he now?" I ask the older boy who's following after us.

"Five." He answers.

"Aah, so he's a year older than us?" I ask," Are you going to be in the last year preschool class once it starts?"

It's Kyoya that answers.

"He's going to be in the same class as you." He says, my eyes widden and he smirks,"  **It's easier to pick you all up at the same time for training.** "

I stop and stare at his smug self.

" _Training_?" I question, confused.

Kyoya's grin is so astonishingly familiar, the older version of him overlaps and I contain a shiver, that I blink in amazement.

" **Hn~** " He then chillingly says," For destroying the backyard,  **kamikorosu**. "

**...**

_Can't say I've missed that word being directed at me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, in this chapter we learn about Yurei's past life, and by past life I mean the life he lived in the same world as Asa.
> 
> Just so you know, because I don't really think I touch in anything regarding their past names anytime soon, I'll be writing them as I introduce them. So far we have:
> 
> Asa Lynn, 16, who is now Yamamoto Natsushi, age 3 (currently).
> 
> Nikita Lagunov, 4, who is now Hayashi Yurei, age 5. (To those interested, Nikita means Winner or Victor)
> 
> Natsu has officially 'unlocked' his flames, he had them awakened last chapter but they were never really used before now. And they are now active, like Chiyo and Taro, he's finally able to train alongside them.
> 
> The only one that has no clue about flames is Vasco. But that'll change.
> 
> Elias is going to begin to use her flames too, since she'll have perfect test subjects in Kyoya's vict-... Huh, students!
> 
> Hehe...
> 
> Now, to all those wondering why Natsu 'called' Asa's mother and not Mama, let's just say that he saw Yurei's death and saw, from an outsiders point of view, the loss of an innocent life. And then, he saw himself hurt someone close to him.
> 
> With Asa's memories now in full view of him, he now has the knowledge of a life where he/she was loved and wanted for nothing. Yes, Asa's life was turbulent and there were some lows but to her, it was never outright unbearable.
> 
> Plus, Christmas is a time for family, leading him to realize he had never wondered about what happened after her death. It was mostly guilt that lead to him call Asa's mom.
> 
> But don't worry, he'll talk with Mama soon enough.
> 
> Now, I'll leave it up to speculation whether or not he actually talked with 'his' mom, though I'd like to hear your thoughts on the changes that such conversation lead to. Namely the half-drowned room and the gazebo. (For a better view of what it looks like, google, japanese gazebo)


	37. Part II - Chapter 10 - Side A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you keep reading!
> 
> This is chapter was originally too long so I cut it down into 2 'parts'. Side B will be updated soon.
> 
> This is Side A.

Kyoya and Yurei stayed with us throughout the afternoon, and left shortly before dinner, which led to a lot of chaos. Chiyo went from lazy and morose to awake and alert as soon as she saw Yurei, then positively gleeful when she then spotted Kyoya behind me.

How the playroom's walls are intact I don't know, but I made sure Takeshi knew better than to poke them or something. If it wasn't immediately broken by us then it wouldn't be our fault, no matter the role we had in its eventual breakdown.

I also called Elias and let her know that the two were staying over at my house and that she was welcome to join us, and that Takeshi would be 'thrilled' to have her here, before I pondered on whether or not to call Taro's house.

In the end I did and, luck was totally on my side that day, it was surprisingly Taro's oldest brother that answered. Shintaro was eleven years old, about to turn twelve in a few months, and was, honestly, my favorite out of all the brothers Taro had.

In a very much apreciated gesture of awesomeness, he told their mother he was going to take Taro to the park to show him how his new robot worked (a subject neither Kotaro or Hotaru showed much interest in) and came to our house.

It wasn't my first time seeing the kid, but wow were the family resemblance easy to spot.

The same mess of a hair and the same green eyes, the skin tone was similar and they had the same nose. Taro's eyes looked closer to Hotaru's (which were all their mothers) and had bigger ears.

Shintaro was goofier and a lot more eager to start conversations, though.

A ball of energy, really similar to Elias. And lo behold, the two of them got along swimingly, and managed to, somehow, act as a buffer between Elias and Takeshi.

It was officially twilight zone when Takeshi laughed at something Elias said or responded to something Elias had asked without any sort of baseless jealousy.

_Taro_ , on the other hand...

"He is not going to attack you, Taro..." I sigh ruefully, the corners of my mouth try to form a grin which I smother.

"H-he-he t-tr-tried t-t-to p-p-pun-punch-punched m-me!" He stutter and squeaked.

Chiyo snorts behind me.

"That happened like... A week ago, or something!" I try to reason with him.

"F-five d-days! S-st-still c-co-cou-counts!" He squeaks again.

"Argh... Taro, I promise you, Yuu will not attack you in any way, shape or form unless you permit it, 'kay?" I try again.

Taro's green eyes focus on me in a flat stare.

I felt mildly proud that he could give me that look, when we first met he would've wilted and submitted to that decision without a vocal protest.

"Really?" Ooh, I loved that flat deadpan tone," You promise?"

"I promise." I nodded.

"L-like y-y-you p-p-pro-promised w-we wo-woul-wouldn't g-g-ge-get in t-t-trou-trouble b-b-be-befo-before y-you d-dr-dragged u-us som-some-somewhere?" He asked.

_Huh..._

"Yeah?" I tilt my head, unsure.

That flat stare intensifies.

I can see the distrust in his eyes, there's no way he's going to believe he's harmless right off the bat (not that I expected him to), and it hurts a bit to see just how much Taro had changed.

Because the Taro that had step foot inside that classroom nearly a year ago would shrink into himself and stay as far away as possible from the one he perceived as dangerous, and he would shyly tells us that he 'disapproved' of our reasoning.

But that Taro would've never turned to the reason of his hesitation and stare at them dispassionately before turning back around and sigh.

"Your call..." He all but sagged, tired looking.

I internally winced.

Taro would abide to my choice of keeping Yurei in the group (not that I had a choice, either way) but he was only doing so because I was the one calling the shots.

* * *

It was a scary thought, to realize just how much power I unconsciously had over the others. The amount of pressure I had over my shoulders was bad enough without taking into consideration the way my words and actions affected those to whom I ruled over.

**They were Storms.**

We  _all_  were.

_**But**  _just as  _they_  were Storms...

I was the  **Temporale**.

Amongst my many nightmares, the many fears of losing them to the mafia, I had one that has, since I first dreamnt it, chased me relentlessly over the years.

In a way, perhaps, it was that same nightmare that kept the worst of me at bay. That kept the beast that lurked behind my sea colored eyes, behind that careless grin I chose to mask over my real emotions, the one that called for vengeance and blood.

War and chaos...

Maybe, just maybe...

It was that mirror reflection staring back at me that grounded my head firmly under my cold calculating mind.

_**After all...** _

* * *

I nodded back at Taro and helplessly shrugged, grimacing at his unamused stare, and looked to where Chiyo and pestering Yurei, Elias hovering around them,  _clearly_  making Yurei very jumpy. And I could see that that had been her intention all along, Chiyo's plan obviously, seeing pink eyes analysing everything and storing it all in.

Were he to try and attack any of us here, Chiyo would have a headstart in anticipating it. She's see all the signs, the tells of movement and pondering.

_Just as she had done with me multiple times before._

Her reasoning behind this was 'because it helps deciding which lie to use', although I could see that wasn't the whole truth.

What Chiyo  _hated_  more than anything was being caught flat footed, unbalanced and unprepared.

She had never thought I would hurt her, even accidentally, so the shock I had sprung on her had been scary. Not overly so, Chiyo would kick my butt faster than I could scare her stiff but, still...

**She wasn't going to make that mistake again.**

Her eyes watched everything. Everyone.

If something were to happen, she  _would_  know. And she'd either intervene or let it unfold.

* * *

If you were to enter a massive hall, filled with people dancing and socializing, you'd not notice her. But she would notice you, every step you took she's know. Anticipate it, and change her awareness accordingly.

You'd think about pulling a gun or knife and before you could she's be upon you, dark swirling eyes mocking your attempt and a devilish grin plain in her face.

Such was my Sandstorm,  **everywhere at once** , hidden in plain sight,  _and_   _way too much of a nuisanse to deal with without repercussions_.

* * *

Kyoya had his back to the wall, eyes closed but listening to the chatter around him. I admired his devotion to his family, there was no other reason other than Yurei there could possibly be, for him to ignore (quite literally too, turning a bling eye and everything) all the ' _crowding_ ' around him.

Brother and Shintaro were still talking, his warm brown eyes settling over us for a moment before moving on. He'd do this so or so often and at one point Shintaro made a goofy joke about it that left my brother spluttering.

_Huh... Interesting._  I wonder what it was about.

As the sun went down (and wow, how did the time fly by so fast?) Papa told us to say our goodbyes to everyone because they had to go home before it got dark (and Papa automatically had to either phone their parent about their locations or take them home himself, either way exposing where they had been all afternoon) and started closing the shop up.

As they left, Kyoya looked back at me and pointedly stared at me and then made this small nudge in the direction of my father.

_Talk to him._

That's what his eyes told me.

I withheld my sigh, but not my amounting frustration.

**I knew** , somehow I just knew,  **that this discussion was not going to end well.**

So, they all left and then, after cleaning the mess we'd made in the playroom, we had dinner.

A  _normal_  night, right?

_Yeah..._  Nothing's ever that simple.

**_Apparently..._ **

* * *

"Papa...?" I asked, hesitant and slightly,  _just slightly_ , concerned for his lack of response.

Vocally or physically, since that blank expression was not very reassuring.

Seconds ticked by, the tension in the room grew and I thanked Kami that Chiyo had been tired enough to go to bed early, Takeshi following after her as to make sure she'd not fall asleep on the stairs (wouldn't have been a first...) for if she'd been awake and witnessing this... Huh...

_It would've been_ even more _nerve wreaking._

And then, finally, Papa responded.

**"No."**

...

_Wait, what?_

"No?" I repeated, confused.

Narrowed and chilly eyes stared down at me.

"No, Natsushi." He repeated, then turned around and left the room.

I sat there on the floor, stunned speachless before my thought and reality caught up to one another and I groaned.

Things were going to be so peachy... Yeah, I could already imagine the mess this was going to turn into.

_Not that I needed to imagine for much longer._

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Three weeks.**

That's how long both my patient and my respect for authority figures lasted before I just let go of any and all pretense to be the easy going and submitting child I honestly would rather be.

Three hell raising weeks of attempts at negotiation and pleading.

Three weeks of honestly trying to explain the situation in any way I could to get the results I needed without antagonizing my father  _too much_.

He didn't deserve this, this whole situation and the cards being dealt, but when life gives you lemons and tells you,  _ **no**_ ,  _orders_  you to create a masterpiece you either go big or go home.

And neither of those options were ones I wholeheartedly could decide on without there being some sort of backlash.

But, in the end, I chose the lesser of two demons.

The safety and protection of my Storms, over the warm welcome and companionship of a healthy and cooperative father and son bond.

Three weeks.

**I gave him three weeks.**

Three weeks worth of time I had wasted on the pointless attempt at trying, desperately trying to make him see what was already there, not really bothering to hide it, which had effectively proven to have been worthless in the end.

And against my childish desire to keep playing house and keep this whole mascarade going on, I squared my shoulders and put my game cards on the table.

No jokes, no innocent hints or a smile. I sat across from him on the dining table, after my brother and Chiyo had already gone to bed, and  ** _told_  **him of what was going to happen.

No 'please, Papa, let us do this!' or 'C'mon, we'll be careful!', as I had already extinguished those options, just a short and decisive statement.

"Kyoya will start teaching us to defend ourselves once school starts, perhaps a little before he'll take us aside individually and see out strenghs and weaknesses, plan a whole training regimen." My voice didn't waver, and the whole reason why it was not chillingly impersonal was perhaps because a three year old cannot sound frightening even if it tries to.

Father's eyes narrowed and I could see his mouth open to say his disagreement, his refusal to allow us to learn how to actively fight, his authority as my parent.

**I didn't even allow him to begin his rant.**

"Listen!" I cut in sharply, eyes glowering up at him,"We are doing this, no ifs or maybe's. This is happening, and,  ** _Father_** , your only options are either allowing us to do this without punishment or keep an eye on us at all times, because if we aren't able to take off as soon as your back is turned, then we'll soon be, and things will just go worse from there."

Father's hands clenched over the table and he desperatly tried not to glare at me. His youngest son, by all rights a toodler, who had,  _realistically_ , no right to be so demanding, so desperate, so...  _unattached_.

* * *

That was certainly the start of when I stopped being, completely, his son. When I had to start peeling back one or two layers of my being, exposing a hint of the me that existed behind the body of a child.

**But I never told him who exactly I was.**

_Maybe that was a mistake?_

* * *

"My answer, Yamamoto Natsushi, is no. And I explicitly forbid you from going forward with this." His voice was even, but I could hear the undercut of... desperation?

I internally sighed and sagged, outside I bore no reflection of it. A partially blank mask, eyes betrayed the exhaustion and resignation to his decision. Without a word or glance I stood up and left the room.

I ignored the ache inside me that begged me to go back and appologize. Beg to start over from scratch.

I closed my eyes and ears to the evidence before me that Father wanted the best for be, as wrong as his actions were, in the end, he truly cared.

He  **wanted** me safe.

I  **needed**  us safe.

_That was the problem._

For him there was hope, that the mafia would never catch wind of us here, in this quiet japanese town, far, far away from any real events that could spark the attention of the big organizations out there.

But that was  _him_.

_To me?_

**To me there was certainty that in six years, barely seven years, the mafia was going to flood this town and hell was going to rain down on us.**

The Vongola would settle right outside our doorstep and we could either hide with bated breath as they poked and prodded at all the holes in our stories and pasts and plead to all the saints and angels that they wouldn't find out who we were.

_Six years._

In six years I will be  **ten**.

**I will be ten years old and I will be in the frontlines of a full blown out battle against the biggest mafia organization there was. Facind down the Vongola and all their allies.**

_But he didn't know that._

He couldn't possibly know that, yet  _ **I**  did_ and I had to act in the best interest of the Storms. I had to play my cards and win not the game, but the  _ **best**   **possible**   **probabilities**  _of the best ending result I could possibly get.

For all my perceived age,  **I wasn't a fool**.

_There was no way we could win against the Vongola face to face_ , not when I knew that Reborn could (and would)  _ **kill**  _us as soon as it was even hinted of who we were, because he would warn Nono and then I would tell then where to stuff all their ' _obey us or die_ ' crap, and they  _would_  go through with it.

_No..._   **The best ending result?**

We made outselves untouchable.

_Six years..._

I closed my eyes, peeked inside Chiyo's bedroom to see her softly snoring, Seth curled protectively around her, red eyes not even opening to stare at me, before turning around and silently going to bed.

_Six years..._

I tossed around the night back and forth many times, curled up and pushed the sheets away, breathed in and out, stared down shadows on the bed curtains, before finally giving up and screaming into my pillow.

Angry tears rolled down my cheeks and I desperately tried my hardest to not burn anything down.

Because bright flames danced all around me and static electricity filled the air with power.

_My eyes burned in the night._

**I had six years to create fear.**

_**Fear that I** _ **would** _**destroy** _ **everything** _**in my path with** _ **no remorse** _**if** _ **any** _**of us were ever** _ **hurt** _**.** _

* * *

It had been Taro, of all people, that had sat down beside me that rainy afternoon, the lush couches and armchairs uncomfortable for all that they were made of all the finest materials, and tried (once more) to get me to answer the phone. To, at the very least, just listen to what they had to say.

_But I refused to._

My eyes never strayed far from the thick metal gates, beautiful designs of curled vines and flowers decorating them, and the tall,  _tall_  brick walls that surrounded the property from all sides.

' _Home_ ' they refered it as.

' _Their own Kingdom_ ' they would whisper.

' _Heaven_ ' some would worship.

**.**

**.**

**.**

' _ **Price**_ ' I called it.

For that  _was_  what it was, and not that many things could get me to say otherwise, no point in trying to sugarcoat or embelish the truth.

For all the lush and grandeur it had, this place was, to me, one thing only:

**"The Price of Freedom."**

* * *

I opened my eyes to the wooden ceiling of a gazebo and the light breeze brushing over me in the dark void, the light of the gleaming lone star shining down on the random rocks that existed over the nothingness. The knowledge that there was a cliff somewhere around here wasn't reassuring in the least, but...

_I was sitting in a gazebo._

Where had this come from?  _How long has it been here?!_

And there... Several flat stones formed a pathway, weaving around the rocks and making several turns around nothing, as if there was something there I could not see, that stopped quite a bit away from me.

It just suddenly cut off, as if the ground ended.

I had my suspitions the cliff started there, but I wasn't about to walk over there and see if it was true.

-Oh, you awaken. I was starting to think you'd sleep the only time you were here.- The flat voice of the first whisper greeted me.

I turned to face the floating pure white fox that hovered over me, porcelain mask over its face.

"When did this happen?" I asked it.

The fox gave me an unimpressed glare.

"The gazebo has been here for a bit over three weeks, the stepping stone appeared just now. - It answered.

_Oh._

-Hey, is King awake yet?- Another voice asked, sounding very similar to a bored Chiyo, which was never a good thing to have.

-Yes, he is.- The first answered.

-Great! Hey, King?- It cheered and 'turned' to me, its voice so cheery and...  _eager_?

I frowned at the empty space I suspected it was in, and hesitated for a second.

"What?" I asked.

-How're yo' gonna deal wit' Vongola?- It asked, crackling.

"I don't know." I answer with a sigh.

-How do'ya not know!? Ya' all talk an' no bark?- It seemed to be unsure of whether to be upset or annoyed.

" **No!**  I... To deal with Vongola we need a plan!" I hiss at it," And I don't know how to deal with them so I need... I need help..." I sigh.

-And you want our help?- The fox voice asks.

-Ya' came to da' righ' place then, King!- The other crackles louder.

"I know... So?" I ask to no one in particular," What's the best approach?"

-Crush them before da' fleas turn troublesome.- The dark whisper answered instantly.

-You need to first know their plans exactly, then act accordingly to your own plans.- The fox answered calmly.

I blinked.

"My plans?" I repeated.

-Of course.- The fox said,- You must have a concrete and strong plan of attack before you try to act against your enemy.-

"Why?" I asked it, it seemed slightly unimportant to have an actual plan, in the end they were all likely to fall apart.

-Cuz', King... Ya need to kno' how to ruin their perfect plot!- The whisper answered.

I feel a huff of breath near my ear, I jump when I see that, somehow, the fox managed to move behind me whilst I was listening to the other.

-"Because, without reflection, we go blindly our way, creating more unitended consequences and fail to achieve anything useful."- It answered, patiently,- In other words, if you do not plan on what exactly you wish to achieve you might do more harm than good.-

_Oh._

"Oh." I blink,"That... makes sense..."

I hear a sigh.

"So, we plan?" I ask them.

-No.- The fox answers.

-Nah.- The other agrees.

"What?! You just said you'd help me!" I yelp.

-And we will, but we will not help you make choices regarding what you wish to change or destroy, merely in what actions you should use in either case.- The fox answered.

-In other words, get yo' plan together, King, an' we'll be bashin' skulls in'o time!- It laughed.

**...**

"Suuuure..." I dubiously agree,"But before any of that, I think the more urgent problem is getting my father to agree with me." I sigh, letting myself fall back onto the wooden floor of the gazebo.

-Jus' ignore him.- The darker whisper offered.

I huffed a laugh.

_Not likely._

-Is he truly a problem?- The fox asked, floating down to lie still beside me.

I pondered the answer.

It was complicated, in the end, because I could,  _kinda_ , see Papa's point of view. I could understand his feverish need to keep me sheltered and hidden, if I were to become a parent I knew I would act much the same, but I also understood that ' _sheltering_ ' me would be  _pointless_.

I was already a health hazard walking, with me sparking off electricity every so often, and I got the vague sensation that it was only going to keep progressing and growing stronger with time. Leaving this amount of power untrained was... stupid?

It was very much unadvised, if completly irrational, but then... Then the tiny voice of reason in me whispered that it was my  **FATHER**  that was acting like this, giving him an excuse to act like this.

**Except it wasn't really an excuse he could use with _me_!**

(Or at least that's how I saw it.)

_Because I didn't need to be protected!_

**I needed _to protect_  the others!**

And then the double standart came up. Because I would not hesitate to do the very same thing Papa was doing to me, to them. I didn't want them to fight, I wanted them safe, but I set those wants aside and realized that, for them to be safe, they needed to be able to defend themselves.

_That's_   **why**  I was doing this.

**...**

**Yet, he couldn't see that.**

"He doesn't understand. No one other than Storms can understand... And that's why he's a problem. Not in a way where I need him gone... I just..." I couldn't finish the sentence. _It was an awful thing to say_ , and words failed me when I tried to think of a synonym or something close to it.

-You need him... appeased. For him to step aside and let you do your role as the Temporale as you are obbligated to.- The fox nodded.

"Yes, but-..." I try to continue.

-But, you don't want to antagonize him. To set him aside and leave him behind. You want him to love you as well as respect you as the Temporale and not as simply his youngest son.- To fox said.

I nodded silently, looking out to the dark and empty horizon.

-Y'a humans a' too complicated...- The whisper grumbles.

-Hush you.- The fox bats at the empty space beside him with its tail.

"How do I get him to do that?" I ask, ignoring the interaction.

-It depends on how you want to the point across.- The fox answers.

-Ya' can go easy or... ya' strike hard an' fast!- It crackled.

I sigh, closing my eyes and scratch the back of my head, messing up my hair in the process, before looking out to the single star.

"I want a quick solution." I decide," If I draw this out, it will only make him more likely to find some kind of loophole to abuse or something." I tell them.

-You think he'd do that?- The fox asks.

I think for a moment, looking back on the three years I've spent with him.

"No doubt in my mind he would do it. A cornered animal will sooner fight back madly than to let itself be caught." I smile humorlessly," And I'm cornering him pretty badly."

-Then...-The fox began.

-Use da' sword.- The whisper abruptly commanded.

"The what?" I ask, frowning and turning to the side.

-Da' sword! Ya' know! Tha' white one wit' da' fish!- It crackled madly.

-No!- The fox hissed,-He is not ready to try and use that... That thing!-

White sword... with a fish...

**Oh!**

"You mean, Natsumes' sword? Why would me using it cause my Father to let us train?" I ask it.

- **Do not**  do it, Natsushi!- The fox barked at me.

I raise an eyebrow at its vehemence.

"Why?" I ask.

The fox doesn't say a word but I can vaguely tell it is frowning.

-Cuz' that sword conducts and responds  _only_  to Temporale flames!- The whisper laughed,- It's the only weapon ever, since the dawn of creation, that can do that!-

-That  _thing_  is dangerous, Natsushi! If you use it when you are not trained to control your flame output it can do more harm than good!- The fox hissed, furiously lashing out with its tail.

-But it coul' work. Scare da' guy in' lettin' King learn how ta' fight.- The other one countered.

The fox made a choked sound of disapproval before turning to look at me, I could feel the glare from behind the porcelain mask.

"Maybe it will work?" I shrug, uncertain about where I stood in all of this.

The shiver down my spine, the small awareness at the back of my head, told me that this had a deeper agenda than just helping me. A test?

Perhaps... But there was no way to be sure. What did they have to gain with me getting hurt?

_They could be trying to replace you..._

No way. That's ridiculous. After all that trouble in keeping me safe and hidden?

_There could be a hidden danger they are not telling you..._

Again, if I get hurt it will be counter-productive.

_Then what...?_

**I don't know.**

-That sword should've never been created.- The fox told me, voice low and steely,- But it was... and created for one who was never fit to be Temporale in the first place. A mistake, in the end.-

"My uncle?" I frowned.

_Natsume was never meant to be the Temporale?_

-That man went against all the Temporales' stand for.- The fox continued.

"Why do you say that?" I asked it.

-Tell me, Natsushi, if Vongola were to show up at your doorstep right now and tell you to either obey them for life or be killed, what would you choose?- The fox asked instead.

I blinked.

"I would tell them to take a hike." I bluntly answered,"After all they've done, why on earth would I obey them?"

-Even if that meant you and the Storms would die?- The fox persisted.

Why would the Storms di-...  _Oh._

**Balance.**

Storms cannot exist without a Temporale, so if I'm gone, they'd die too.

_I don't_ want _them to die,_ never _that,_ but _if the_ alternative _would be to hand them to Vongola..._

"It wouldn't matter." I firmly stated,"Death is better than another generation of loss and blood."

The fox nodded.

-Exactly.- It agreed,- That's what a real Temporale would respond with.-

"A real Temporale?" I questioned.

The fox frowned, before looking away.

-That sword... If you wish to use it then, at the very least, be mindful and certain of your actions.- The fox said.

_Smooth subject change..._

I narrow my eyes at it.

"I will." I promise.

I was about to ask how I got out of there before a bright light flashed into existence and I blinked the black spots out of my sight.

* * *

The warm summer breeze was one of those tells, one of those things you just never forget, that immediately lets you know where exactly you are. I gazed out to the Prairie before me.

The tall grass moving along with the wind, the mountain top far off in the distance, the castle like structure near its base, the dark forest to my right. And beside me...

Beside me stood a stone cross, with a large black crow standing atop it.

_A snoozing Vasco leaning against it._

**...**

**What a sight for sore eyes.**

I smiled at him, the worn hat was crooked on his head so I pushed it gently back into place. The sun shone down on him and his hair seem lighter, a golden blond that reminded me of Chiyo's, and his body was completely relaxed.

There were bruises on his face again. The sight of them caused thorns of anger to prickle against my better judgement. The small and willow-y whispers of revenge and fury poking their noses in my mind.

I pushed them down and shook my head.

**I was not going to go there.**

Instead I laid beside him, listened to the wind and watched the eagle fly high above us.

As time passed, lazily floating clouds entertaining me, I found myself weaving strands of tall grass into bracelets. It was something I had never done but which Asa was marvellous at. So concentrated was I that I jumped at the sound of Vascos' sleepy voice.

"Hey, Natsu... Tás à espera à muito tempo?" He mumbled, warm brown eyes blinking down at me. (Where you waiting (for him to wake up) for long?)

I blinked and cocked my head to the side.

"What?" I asked.

He blinked at me before cracking a smile.

"Continuo sem te perceber." He said. (Still don't understand you.)

I smiled at him and shrugged.

"It's warm in here, isn't it? Back home Namimori is covered in snow, its cold." I tell him," Not that I was unused to snow, all winters had snow back then but it definitely is  _way_   _colder_  in Japan than in the ol' Havant, UK... Ya' know?" I gestured vaguely.

Vasco doesn't say a word, just rests lightly against the cross and nods.

"I kind of miss the homey way the houses looked during the winter, all covered in christmas decorations and stuff. We don't do that now, no point in doing it really... Christmas is more of a romantic event than big partying with a ton of lights and trees, gingerbread and pudding." I continued,"Which I understand! But..."

I stare off into the distant swaying tall trees.

"I had a fight with my Father." I told him, my voice growing wearier, tired," And we both messed up. We  _both_  started out with the wrong foot and I want to move on with this, but this fight,  **this** , can't keep... Argh-..." I sharply tussle my hair, grabbing the sides of my head.

"Everything is so...  ** _so_**... complicated." I end up saying," Nothing like back then... Back when I was Asa... There were messes, sure, but I could mess up and not be judged by it." I sigh.

A moment of silence falls between us.

"Ya' know... There was a time where the thing I wished for most was finishing a book or just live a normal and calm life, now...?" I let out a shaky laugh," Now I wish to become the  _biggest_  and baddest  ** _threat_  **to the largest mafia Famiglia in the world. How things change, huh?" I turn to Vasco.

He's frowning. His eyes narrowed and his lips are pinched together, he reaches out his hand...

_And wipes the tears off my eyes._

**...**

**I didn't realize I had started crying.**

_Huh, so embarrassing._  I duck and head and rub my eyes, try to push his hands away, but he just huffs and pulls me closer to him.

He smelled of grass and smoke, there was a faint smell of...  _something_. It was familiar but not... nostalgic but not to Asa.  _Strange..._

He started talking then, but I didn't understand a word. They rolled off his mouth like syrup but to me it was merely rushing water, an entrancing sound but not understandable to me.

I relaxed as he talked.

I listened, I didn't fall asleep or let myself drift away, no, I listened. I stared up at him. At his smiling goofy face as he gestured wildly, hands moving smoothly through the air, so I was perfectly aware and totally did not freak out when the large black crow suddenly cawed in my ear.

**Loudly.**

_And I totally did not scream like a little girl._

**Nope.**

_Nah._

No.

It was a rather startling wake up call though... Since I opened my eyes to the sunlit bedroom and to Takeshi's soft snores.

Once I realized what had happened I was rather annoyed I had my visit with Vasco cut short like that.

**_Then I remembered that I had work to do and hauled my butt out of bed with a groan._ **

* * *

Everyone was busy. It was the perfect time to enact on my plan to test out Natsume's sword. It was my only chance too, I guess, at least for a while due to Elias' birthday coming up and New Year's Eve.

There was some talk about my Grandparents coming to visit, which I was happy about. The last time we'd seen them had been at Mama's funeral.

Oh, they called regularly... But it wasn't the same.

Anyway, I crept slowly into the dojo, keeping an eye and ear out in case Chiyo, Takeshi or Papa saw me go in.

They didn't, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

The sun was going down, the afternoon was almost over, and the room was dimly lit. And  _cold_.

The swords stood solemnly in its pedestal. My Father's old katana and Natsume's wakizashi, the white sword the fox had warned me against. It looked so innocently harmless.

The color white and very light teal did nothing to disregard that notion, on the contrary it simply made it look more ethereal and ' _fake_ ' than anything. Not ' _fake_ ' in the sense you didn't see it was a real sword but in the way you looked at it and would think it had come out of a silly ' _honorable and just_ ' samurai with Kami's blessing following him around.

I shook my head. This was not the time to space out and let my thoughts wander, the fox had warned me that this was a very delicate procedure.

Honestly, I had no intention in destroying anything or hurt someone, the  _highest_  aim I had about this whole thing was to create a spark or fry the lightbulbs. Nothing too big or irreplaceable.

I crept closer to the swords, my eyes glued to the pure white one, and I focused all my thoughts around it and my goal.

**Focus... Don't waver... Don't think...**

I reached out my hand and let it hover clumsily over the wakizashi. Father had been teaching me how to use a training sword, this one would be both heavy and at a ' _weird_ ' length for me, as it was visibly smaller than what I used in training and made of metal.

I closed my eyes and breathed in.

**One...**

**Two...**

**Three...**

I grasped the sword with my hand.

* * *

Flashes of light, the sound of iron shocks, laughter, screaming, fire crackling in my ears...

There were glimpses of silhouettes through the corners of my eyes, though I couldn't focus on them or see them properly, like I was unable to truly see them. They were there, they wavered, faded and blinked back into existence, and I knew they were there.

**Then there was thunder.**

A powerful rumbling of power that flowed right past me. Lightning bursting out of the sky, rain flooding the land... And once again, there was laughter...

**Pure laughter of joy, of enjoyment...**

I was confused, the chaos and cacophony in general around me was astonishing, yet someone was laughing amidst all this. That begged the question:

**_Who?_ **

I followed the laughter, ducked under stray pieces of dirt and rocks that were blown up by the thunder, my hair laid flat on my head thanks to the rain and the cold rain soaked me.

It was cold.

Finally, I came across this pile of dirt, enormous in comparison with my young stature, and I felt the need to crawl over it instead of simply standing. This gut feeling told me it would be safer, so I followed my intuition.

**It had yet to lead me wrong.**

Thus, I crawled on my knees on the rapidly-turning-to-mud dirt mound and gazed at the sight in front of me.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**It was _breathtaking_.**

* * *

There's a sudden lurch and I feel my whole body hit the hardwood floor, my head thunking loudly against it and I see a few stars, my vision swaying.

_Ouch, that hurt..._

I blink slowly, trying to get back on my feet, and I'm extremly confused when I see Papa shaking in front of the pedestal with Natsume's sword in his hand. His face is pale and his eyes are astonishingly wide open with...

I blink again, surely my sight was worse than I must've thought, because there was no way my Father was looking at Natsume's sword with such...  _dread_?

"Natsushi..." My Father said, murmuring the words so quietly that they were almost inaudible in the silent and cold room," **Don't you ever touch this sword.** "

I sat down on the floor, my hand rubbing gently against the bump at the back of my head, and I frowned.

"Why?" I asked.

_A sharp inhale._

" **Natsushi!** " He hissed, harshly placing the sword back on its' stand and turning to me," **You _have_  to listen to me, do  _not_  touch that sword!**"

I glared at him, tore my heart out of my sleeve and placed it in my pocket, smothering the childish part of me that wanted nothing more to accept his terms and get back to being a happy family, and answered back to him in the same tone.

"Why? If you don't give me a good reason to, why should I do as you say?"

" **I am your father!** " He yelled at me, face pale and eyes slightly fearful.

_Something in me snapped._

**No.**  You are not. I might've been born to you but I am not your son.  **I will _never_  be able to be  _just_  your son...**

" **And I am the Temporale!** " I yelled, standing shakily,"  **I am the Temporale and I have to protect them! I have to! And you keep trying to make me break the promise I swore to them!** " I shouted.

He stumbled back a step, swayed for a moment before lowering his head.

" _You are my son..._ " He whispered.

"And  **I**   **am**   _their_   **Temporale**." I told him,"No matter  _what_ ,  **I will protect them**...  _No matter the cost_... " I choked back a whimper.

" **If you had to choose... between them and our family...** " Father asked, his voice wavering and watery.

_I swallowed thickly._

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.

_Pain..._  Harsh poundings of pain in my heart.

-Tell the  _truth_...- The white fox murmured in my ear, voice heavy with meaning.

-Step fo'ward an' stan' yo' ground.- Another whispered in my opposite ear.

I opened my eyes and looked into his eyes. His warm glistening brown eyes, so similar to Takeshi's, and I answered.

_Regret for_ what _could've been..._

**"I will always choose them in the end... I am the Temporale and they are my Family."**

* * *

The pillow under me was wet, the covers were tossed to the foot of the bed and I was cold. Yet I could not pull them up for they would be heavy on top of me, and their weight would make it unbearable.

Like cement poured on top of me, it pushed me down and choked the air out of my lungs.

**No, I deserved the cold.**

These tears were nothing like the pain he was feeling. The hurt in his eyes as he nodded silently and walked out of the dojo.

_Walked right by me..._

_This pain was nothing unwarranted._

"Natsu..." Chiyo's voice made me open my eyes.

Her hair glowed pale gold under the moonlight, her lips were pinched in worry and her eyes... Her pink eyes teared up beside me.

_I could read her as easily as a book._  To have her this close to me made me able to sense her emotions, her presence soothed me, and I choked back sobs as she tried to relieve my pain, my clumsily stroaking my long strands of hair.

"What's wrong?" She'd ask, her voice so lost it only made the hurt worsen,"Tell me what's wrong,  _please_..." She'd cry.

**I did not answer.**

My arms wrapped around here frame and I cried. Just like I'd done all those years ago, she held me through the night and whispered nonsense in my ears, her hands rubbing patterns on my back and hair, Seth curled around us like a sentinel.

**Her eyes blazed like an inferno that night.**

A raging dark pit of resentment towards the vague concept of hurt and pain.

* * *

She kneeled before me, that wicked and unrepentent grin playing in her lips, eyes clear and bright. Blazing orbs of pink and swirling indigo, a large black serpent curled over her shoulders staring at me with the same reverence.

Her hand over her heart, the clink of metal against her breast, and the leather holsters wrapped around her hips glinted under the sun filled room.

She vowed to me, her voice strong, enchanting, and so, so heavy.

_The tip of a dagger at the throat._

**"I am Here, waiting,  _watching_ , keeping to the shadows, but when you  _need_  me, I'll step out of the Shadows and  _protect_  what's MINE."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, starting at the beginning.
> 
> Natsu has been having nightmares since the start of the series, some happen off-screen others are merely referenced here or there, but I'll be the one to state that they are bad, bad things that plague him.
> 
> We also get another reference to the fact Temporales' control their Storms unconsciously, their decisions are agreed to not because they are good decisions but because Storms will 'bend' to their Temporales' will.
> 
> Usually this is not really seen, because Storms (now) tend to have similar or agreeing personalities, so they'd probably come up with the same decision anyway, no harm done, but way, way back it could get messy.
> 
> Even if such thing only existed as a defense mechanism, of sorts, in Storms.
> 
> We get a few glimpses of the future, not gonna tell you more about that~! Nyehehe!
> 
> Now, now, don't lay too much hate on Tsuyoshi (Natsu's Papa) he's really just trying to get back on his own feet after an ordeal, and he's entering that 'hidden grieving' stage of deniability in regards to his youngest being at the very center of a potentially fatal mafia sh*tstorm.
> 
> He's worried about Chiyo as well, but he's realized by now that if he keeps one away from the mafia, the other will be just as safe. The refusal to allow them to fight is because he truly just wants them to be children.
> 
> He sees that they've lost so much already that they deserve to kept away from the dangerous world outside.
> 
> The problem is, neither child wants this. And as such they keep fighting him in this decision, Natsushi with much more viciousness than Chiyo because Chiyo's unsaid emotional problems do keep her at a stand still.
> 
> Natsu, however, knows and realizes what is happening and cannot, for the Storms' good, allow it to continue. So he breaks his rules and, now, his heart.
> 
> You can rest assured, it will get better!


	38. Part II - Chapter 10 - Side B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Side B of Chapter 10 of Part II! If you haven't read Side A, go read it!

It was easily noticeable that there was something off in our routine, in our interactions as a whole, with Takeshi being an odd example. He'd pick some things up but would barely glance over others, something that troubled me slightly.

There was no way that his obliviousness could be normal. I mean, he was young and children weren't known for their observation skills but this?

_No, there was something troubling here..._

But nothing I could do, I sighed, because I had way too much on my plate to add figuring out Takeshi on my timetable.

So much to do, so little time. Six years... **Six years...**

Chiyo kept sending me looks, dark bags under her eyes spoke of a sleepless night, and I always refused to give her an inch. I didn't respond to those looks, though the thorns in my chest were wrapping tighter around my heart.

Father didn't say anything to me either. He wasn't outright ignoring I was there, his eyes would look at me for a few seconds before he quickly glanced away (as if it was too painful to look at me) and he made small talk. But it wasn't frequent, and his voice would always be off.  _Colder_.

He would smile at his customers and joke around like always, his brown eyes would be narrower but no one else seemed to notice them, just as he would 'happily' cook the marvellous sushi.

After a day like this, feeling exhausted and with Chiyo always on the edge of my awareness staring at me pleadingly, I decided I couldn't take this and called Elias. I pratically begged her to take Chiyo out, which she agreed without much fuss (even if she threatened to lock me in the damn cupboard again) and then escaped to Kyoya's house through the backyard.

Father wouldn't notice I was gone and Takeshi was at a friend's house, since the tension at home was pretty palpable.

Surprisingly, it had been  _Yuurei_  that had opened the door.

His golden eyes were focused and he was breathing hard, sweat glistening in his brow. He was going to ask me what I was doing there, or something similar, but he stopped. His eyes trailed over me and he silently huffed, stepping aside and letting me in.

His hand briskly shooed the snow off my hair and I looked up at him with a flat stare.

_While his attempts at comfort_ were _amusing, I was not there to be coodled._

"Is Kyoya around?" I asked him.

"In the training room." He nodded and turned around to walk down a hallway.

I followed after him, maids who passed me by would take one look at me and then at Yuurei and made themselves scarce. They hadn't forgotten Yuurei's 'temper tantrums' and obviously expected him to go into one soon enough.

After passing by a few doors (just how large was this property?) he opened a sliding door and let me in, Kyoya was inside.

Alongside his father and another boy, the one I had once seen at the restaurant, when I first met Kyoya's parents.

Kyoya's eyes stared into mine before he grunted and pointed to a seat to the side, a bit away from his father, and I sat down. Yuurei sat beside me, eyes still focused but bored.

Kyoya's father ignored my intrusion, because I was certainly not invited to this... whatever this was, and made a gesture to the boy and Kyoya.

Like a spring both boys were off and sparring.

I blinked at their speed. I knew Kyoya was fast, and Yuu wasn't slow by any means, but I didn't realize that it was normal for them to be that fast.

True...  _It wasn't like I actually knew_ that _much about Kyoya._

The knowledge I had of him was skewed. It wasn't first person, it wasn't even actual facts, just opinions made by a person I had to see as a very dangerous and very evil enemy.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was to become Vongola's Decimo.  **Kyoya would one day become his cloud Guardian.**

It was... strange... looking at the nine year old sparring in front of me and 'seeing' the vicious DC leader that he was to become. Imagining him glaring down at rule breakers or grinning at some amusing prey was startling, or him being fussed about by his second-in-command.

What was that guy's name, anyway...?

Uh... I swear I didn't forget it... T-t-t... Tat? No, no, no... Te-... Tetsu...-

"Tetsuya, defend!" Kyoya's father suddenly shouted, jarring me off my thoughts.

...

**Wait.**

My eyes jumped to the wheezing boy on the floor, to his dark hair and dark eyes before I mentally hung my head in shame.

_Oh, my Kami, this kid was_ Tetsuya _..._

Of course, I would pick the day Tetsuya,  _the_  Tetsuya, would come to visit to decide I needed a breather. Fate must hate me... There's no other way.

"My uncle believes the heir to the branch family should learn how to fight beside the heir of the main family." Yuurei quietly told me, his golden eyes trailing after the two lazily.

"So, that's the other heir?" I murmured, before I frowned,"Then what about you?"

Yuu's grin was nothing short of bloodthirsty amusement, like the glint of his eyes when the word carnage was said, and his tone was voice was laced with sweet, sweet hilarity.

He answered:

"I'm not a Hibari."

And it took me two seconds to get it and another three or four of me trying not to burst out laughing.

I'd gotten the rundown of Kyoya's and Yuurei's bloodties before, and the two's mothers were sisters. Technically, they should've both married into the Hibari family but Yuu's mom didn't want that and set out to find a husband somewhere else.

Their parents then cast her out of the family, legally forbidding her from using the name Hibari, also outcasting her descendants from Hibari's family politics.

And years later, the karma of the whole thing came crashing down. The heir to the main family, Kyoya, was all they had dreamed of, strong and vicious, but the heir to the branch family was somewhat lacking.

Oh, he was diligent and was a strong fighter, but the adults suspected he was either a late bloomer or would never manage to reach the heights Kyoya was already striving towards. It was somewhat of a downer but easily worked with.

And then Kyoya's Aunt begs for help in controlling her son. A five year old that was beating the stuffing out of every other kid in their town and was becoming more and more of a nuisance. Technically, Yuurei was the branch family heir, it was his by birthright, but because of those clan politics...

**He was free to do whatever he wanted and rub that fact on the elder's faces.**

_Hence his amusement._

Legally, Yuurei was Hayashi Yuurei, having taken his father's last name, and the Hibari's could do nothing about it.

Unless they publically reversed the shunning of his mother, and that would harm their reputation, so they just kept mum about the whole situation and turned a blind eye to anything 'Yuu related'.

A loud crash makes me focus back on the fighting.

Tetsuya is down on the floor, panting and wheezing, his wrist cradled against his chest. He looked hurt.

Kyoya's father made a gesture and a maid took the poor boy away, Kyoya stood in front of his father, head bowed in respect.

The man's eyes had that proud father glint in them, though his face remained strict, and he briskly spoke a few instructions before getting up and leaving the room.

Kyoya's attention then turned to me and he grinned.

The sweaty look and the adrenaline filled eyes made me wince.

_Oh, this was going to hurt so much..._

* * *

As always, I was right.

I got picked up by Elias' Grandma (who looked very disapproving of my appearance) and got stared at by Takeshi for all of a second before he exploded in a mix of big brother instincts and panic at the state I was in.

Chiyo was staying the night with Elias, and father thanked Grandma for picking me up from my 'playdate', I winced at that, so I had a few hours before Chiyo beat the stuffin' out of me because I got beat up by Kyoya.

I got a hit or two in, but the fact that my cheek was a big bruise and I had a ice-pack over my eye clearly spoke of the outcome.

Father looked tired and sad. But he didn't say anything, he let Takeshi fuss and made a few hollow jokes but nothing more than that.

**It hurt...**

Takeshi tucked me in that night, visibly upset I was hurt, so I did my best to look like his little brother, as an actual three year old, and not an eighteen year old whose run ins with fists and kicks had ended worse than this.

I stayed awake late that night, staring at the light patterns on my bed curtains, fingers trailing after them, and thought back to what I had seen when I had that sword in my hands.

_The rush of power... The blazing fire..._

I groaned and covered my face with my hands.

I knew what the fox was talking about now, the temptation was strong, the sudden want to grab it again and unleash hell down on pratically everything without reason was unmistakeable.

And  **that**  scared me.

_Yet amazed me._

**I wanted it.**  I wasn't scared because of the whole 'temptation' or 'brainwash' thing, no... I was scared because I, honest to Kami, wanted it.

_Must be freeing_ , I caught myself thinking.

_How much easier would things be if I used it?_  That thought stuck out too...

It was... hard.

Due to all the stories I got told about what the mafia had done to Storms over the years, I figured it were all lies, that the Storms were monsters that deserved to be used as weapons or destroyed.  _But..._

But  ** _what if_**  I saw and felt what all the other Temporales' felt before... Can it really be said that we weren't monsters?

That scene.  _That fight._  Was that what I truly wanted to emulate?

-The choice is yours in the end, Natsushi.- The fox's voice said in my ear.

But what is the  **right**  choice?

-Perhaps there isn't one.- The fox answered.

There's  _always_  a consequence to your choices. Which one is the least hurtful?

-So if the price is the lowest it makes the choice the correct one?- The fox asked.

_No._

-Then why choose the one with the lowest price to pay?- It asked.

Because... There'll be fewer losses. Isn't that an important thing in war?

-War... Tell me, Natsushi, what it mean to you 'fewer losses'?- It asked.

Fewer losses means there's almost no destruction.  _No one_ needs _to meaninglessly die because of our war._

-Then, following your line of thinking, won't it constitute as 'fewer losses' for you to just give yourself up? Or kill yourself?- It asked, voice curiously bland and unnerving.

I frowned at nothing.

I guess it could constitute as that, but that's not an option.

-It is an option, but one you've already declined to take, and as such you must get rid of that 'fewer losses' mentality.- The fox argued,- The one thing that you should focus on is planning how to conquer this problem.-

I sighed and nodded.

**I know...**

-Sleep, Temporale.- The fox started to fade.

"Hey, before you go, can you tell me..." I quietly ask.

-Tell you what?- It asked.

"Can I really help Taro like that?" I asked, eyes heavy.

The fox stayed silent for a moment before I heard a wispy sigh and a cold nudge on my bruised cheek.

-You already know the answer to that, Temporale, now sleep.- It said.

My eyes closed and hazy thoughts became fuzzy and incomprehensible.

* * *

The day after that I bribed Taro into coming to my house with the promises that a. Yuu would not be there, b. Chiyo was busy and c. I was not going to kill him.

It somewhat worked, since he did come, but he took one look at my face and looked so hopelessly resigned I ruefully had to pat him on the back and tell him it wasn't going to be as bad as what I had gone through.

Of course, he believed me up until I explained what we were going to be doing.

"Y-y-you... a-a-a-ar-are-re...?" He stuttered, eyes wide and face pale.

I grabbed him by the shoulders and looked at him with a straight face, repeating what we would be doing once again.

"Taro, I will be attacking you. You will be defending with ice-shields. You don't want me to hit you then you will have to build stronger shields."

He opened his mouth to object.

"Taro, Kyoya is going to be kicking our asses daily come Spring, do you really want to delay this until then?" I rethorically asked him.

His mouth shut with a click and he gave me a flat stare.

I grinned down at him.

"See? Not that hard of a choice!" I cheerfully commented.

I turned around to set something up and had to fight down the urge to burst out laughing when I heard Taro grumbled quietly under his breath behind me.

Oh, he was adorable... Truly, he was growing up so fast.

And fit in so perfectly with the rest of our merry band of misfits.

Now I just needed Yuurei and Taro to make peace with each other.

"You ready?" I asked, standing further away from him.

His green eyes bored into mine with a deadpan, lips pressed together in resignation.

"I guess..." He grumbled.

Well... That's good enough for me.

I launched myself at him, fists poised to strike him, his eyes widened and he raised his arms to protect his face.

I hit a solid ice wall with a soft thump.

"Owww..." I groaned, my hand over my nose.

Taro stared at me, startled, then grinned childishly.

**Oh, that...-**

"You okay, Natsu?" He asked, voice smug.

I didn't answer, just jumped up and lauched myself at him. He squeaked and tried to move away but I tripped him.

"Hey, not fair!" He said, frowning.

I sighed.

"Taro, your goal is to keep me as far away from you as possible, I told you at the beginning, everything goes... There's no fairness in this." I explained once more.

He frowned again and shrugged. Sighing he turned to me and nodded.

"Okay..." Was his soft answer.

**It hurt...**

I ignored the heavy lump in my throat and threw myself at him, prepared to try and break his walls, force him to make them harsher, stronger and visibly daunting.

Like  **no one**  would  _want_  to try and fight against them.

We spent about two hours doing just that, with minimal improvements, until Taro could barely stand. Not that I was much better, my lungs hurt and after I sat down on the porch everything was swaying.

We were tuckered out, completly spent, and sweating like nobody's bussiness. It was cold out, but the weather wasn't as bad as it could have been in January.

As we were, simply lying down on the porch, groaning and huffing, Taro blew my peaceful afternoon to smithereens.

"Natsu... Can I ask you a question?" He started.

"You just did, but yeah... Go ahead and ask another..." I huffed.

He clicked his tongue.

"Do you ever have weird dreams?" He quietly asked.

I looked away from the blue sky above me and turned to face him, frowning and mentally tossing around the probabilities of this turning very bad or very awkward.

"Weird  _how_?" I asked.

He frowned in thought.

"Weird as in, they make no sense." He answered," See, I've been having this one in particular for weeks, ever since we fough Yuu... And it bugs me." He said.

"Bugs you? How? Or well... Why?" I asked, confused.

"Like... It makes me feel really scared, for no reason, and then... really sad." He hunched over and hugged his legs.

"Oh... I don't know. What happens in the dream?" I sat up, resting my chin on my propped up knee.

"Nothing really... It's snowing, a lot, and I'm... carrying this plastic thing, a sled I think, and..." He trails off.

"And...?" I pressed.

"And then... sliding down this slope, and I truly believe I'm not supposed to, but I do it anyway because it's so steep and seems so cool, and then... And then..."Taro's eyes glow.

Not glint or blaze up, but glow... Like a feverish need for something, they glow.

_And I worry._

"And then there's this awful crack, like glass shattering, I hear a scream... And then I wake up." He finished, sadly and confused, not understanding any of this.

**But I did.**

I  _knew_  what he was seeing, I  _knew_  what this meant, and I  _knew_  that I could help him.

But no matter how much I reassured myself that I knew what to do, the truth was I didn't, truly,  **know**.

_And_ nothing  _could've ever prepared me for the horrifying realization that_ **my friend** _, my little red-headed buddy of only three short years of life, was remembering_ **how** _he_ **became**  Oshiro Rentaro _._

**He was remembering his own death.**

* * *

If anyone asked, I  _was not_  ignoring Taro.

If anyone asked, I would simply say that Taro's mom held no love or like for me at this current point in time and therefor wouldn't allow her son to join us in this simple birthday party.

And if anyone asked why I was far away from the actual party, well... It's no one's bussiness but mine.

Taro's revelation had shook me. And I was taking these precious few moments of inaction to think of some sort of decent plan to break it to him that  **a)**  he had  **died**  before, and  **b)**  the memories of that lifetime  _would_  slowly creep up on him.

**And the emotions would be as subtle as a sledgehammer.**

It also brought up the terrifying fact that the  **others**  would, one day too, remember their deaths.

They too would remember a life and a family that they had probably left behind, perhaps with no warning or goodbye. And it would be up to me to explain to them what was happening, because I was the only one that remembered.

Actually... Yuurei might have a vague sense of it, but he was so young and neglected that he might not connect those memories as actual memories, simply nightmares.

_Which was a_ good _thing._  I certainly had no qualifications as a psychologist and had no desire to become one.

...

_**Maybe the cupboard would work?** _

...

I'm certainly not going to be the one introducing that idea, no...  _Nope_ , totally not going to be me.

**Aah...~**

I'll just set Elias on them, let her be the motherly/terrifying figure in their lives that make them blabber out what is upsetting them.

_I'll be..._

**Their gilded cage.**

I swallowed heavily. Closed my eyes and took deep breaths, quietly worked my way out of the sudden panic and doubt that tried to claw its way into my awareness.

**No.**   _I will...-_

**Get them killed...**

_**No!**_   _I will_ **not** _get them killed! I will...-_

**Lose them again...**

_**No** , I _ **will not** _lose them aga-..._

**Again?**

"Natsu!" Elias's bright yell startles me more than I would like to admit.

I deny any accusation that I jumped in fright, or that I made an odd sounding cry.

No. They are lying.

_Obviously._

"Elias!" I smiled awkwardly at her.

For my attempt, she gave me an unimpressed staredown.

"So, dear little brother, why did you ask me to keep Chiyo away for a day?" Her smile was dry and her hands were on her hips.

Typical mother pose that basically dared you to try and weasel your way out of this and face the consequences.

"Huh... I've... Huh..." I tried to convincingly lie but in the end I gave up and sighed," Thinks just have been crazy, Elias..."

She frowned, before looking over her shoulder and drag me away farther away from the party and into her bedroom. The pale yellow walls and flower decals were cute, and the stuffed animals that littered the bed floor were so... so child-like.

**So normal, that it hurt.**

Because when had it been the last time I'd asked Father for a toy, or had honest to Kami, played with a toy. Not the 'play' that was some bastardized form of warfare planning or mission idea?

**I can't remember.**

_And that **hurts**._

**It hurts so much.**

"Okay, so spill!" Elias hissed, closing the door behind her.

"Father and I had a fight." I said," And we're still on less than good terms."

"Why would you fight with your dad? He can ground you!" She rolled her eyes.

And as I swallowed and tried to defend my actions (that  _should not_  need defending!) I felt lonelier than I had in years.

Because my Father could ground me, and that would scare me if I had been a child. But I  _ **wasn't**_.

And as such the 'He can ground you' was little more than an inconvenience. What most scared me was the fact that he would hate me for life, hate me enough to no longer care that I existed. Shun me away... Remind me that I was alive only because I took the place his son should have been in.

**I'm _not_  his son.**

**And I don't know how to be his son.**

"We had a fight, Elias, doesn't matter why, you won't understand, so... Chiyo..."I sigh, eyes tearing up at all these emotions that squeeze my heart and pratically claw my insides raw.

"Chiyo needs Father to be there for her... She needs a family, a  _stable_  one, and I'm... afraid... that I'll mess that up for her." I said.

Elias stayed silent. Frowning and narrowing her blue eyes, yellow fire sparking behind her irises.

"Why wouldn't I understand?" She asked.

I didn't answer, looking pretty much uneasy with the way her questioning was going.

"Answer." She demanded.

"It's complicated." I said.

A beat of silence.

Elias swiftly moved past me and plopped down on her bed.

"I have time." She said, eyes daring me to defy her.

I sighed.

-Isn't this a good thing? To have more Storms to talk to? Storms who actually understand your words?- The fox asked.

Is it? Truly, is that for the best?

I stared at Elias, sitting on that bed, took in her appearance, her youth, her innocence, and tried to put a stop on the wave of selfishness that swelled in me.

**No, it is not.**  Because when she knows the price she will feel guilt, and  _she is guilty of nothing_.  **So I do not want her to know.**

-But she  _has_  a right to  **know**.- The fox argued,- It is her life, after all.-

It is her life, that is true, but, tell me, what do I say to her?  _ **How**  _do I explain it to her?

The fox went silence for a moment, pondered an answer, but it was another that replied.

-Tell 'er tha' Vongola will come fo' them. An' tha' yo' kno' they will, tha' yo' need ta' train.- The darker voice answered,- Tell 'er yo' need help. Ask 'er to help yo'.-

_I didn't agree with it._  I didn't want her to know just how bad the situation was looking for our side. But I  _listened_ , and I spoke exactly what it had suggested.

**Elias' face closed off, her eyes went dark then listless, and I feared I had made a grave mistake.**  Was all set for trying to convince her it was all a big hoax, until...

Until there was this brilliant yellow glow that lit the room up and I had an armful of very emotional Elias.

There was a flame dancing like a halo around her head, a mix of yellow and purple, wooven together, and there was this odd buzzing noise at the edge of my senses.

"Why didn't you say anything before?!" Elias hissed, eyes red.

"What was I supposed to say, 'Hey, Elias, the Vongola are going to show up here in six years and they are going to find us and kill us'?!" I argued, rubbing my eyes.

Her lips twisted in displeasure but she didn't say anything else.

"So what do we do?" She asked.

"We train. We get better and get stronger." I said.

"And?" She pressed.

"And what, Elias?" I asked her.

"So, we get stronger and then what?  _Hide_?" She argued in disbelief.

"Yes and no. By the time Vongola shows up I want us to be strong enough to make us untouchable." I hissed," I want us to be safe!"

" _ **So we hide?!**_  Natsu, if we get strong enough for them to fear us  _why don't we give them something to fear_?  **Show them we will _not_  be cowed!**" Her eyes blazed.

**It was an instant reaction.**

Almost like a flinch.  **A trigger.**

She didn't deserve it. Not really. But she pressed the one trigger I was only vaguely, at that time, aware I had.

_I slapped her._

My eyes were blazing gold and my hair was standing on end, small sparks of green electricity crackled like a crown around my head, the scars on my arms bloomed wider and darker.

" **Don't. _Ever_. Think. That.** " I said, my voice ice cold and dangerously smooth, calm,"We are  **not**  monsters."

That last part was so quietly whispered that if it had been said in any other place than the deathly silent room, it would've gone unheard.

**But it didn't.**

_And maybe, just maybe, I hadn't been meaning to say that aloud either way._

But that was so long ago, my memory of that time is fuzzy, lost between Chiyo's growing number of fights and Takeshi's accomplishments. Like many of these moments, time flies by them and they fade into nothing.

Lines in the sand, swiftly carried away by the ocean.

I  _remember_  I left quickly after that.

I  _remember_  that Elias and I  **never**  mentioned this incident ever again.

**Perhaps it was for the best.**

_**Because who would want to remember the sight of heinous and cruel desire to savage the enemy?** _

_**The sight of pure yellow eyes burning bright, like two suns, with mad and violent need to do harm.** _

* * *

I sat down on my bed that night. Too restless to lie down and hide my head under my pillow, instead cradling it in my arms, knees pressed to my chest, sobbing into it.

It felt as if my world was caving in.  **The moment I felt like I was coming to grips and getting a moment of reprieve something just had to go mess it all up!**

I felt tired, no physically but in my heart. I felt as if I could go to sleep and wake up in a million years, but that was a dangerous thought. I had to pinch myself to discard that thought.

**Don't give up. You can't give up. Don't give up. You can't give up. Don't give up. You can't give up. Don't give up. You can't give up.**

I kept muttering that to myself, willing myself to believe the words I pushed into my mindset.

_But it was_ **hard** _._

_Because I remembered._

**I saw.**

_**I knew.** _

_**And it hurt**... So _ **much** _._

The vision I had seen across that mound of dirt would forever be imprinted on my mind. Carved harshly and carelessly into my existence.

Like a dark brand, a tag, a... a  **WARNING**...

That the Temporale was...  **The Temporale was the eye of the storm.**

* * *

I had seen Isaia fight like a maddened bull, all while a grin worth of Hibari Kyoya's version of Freddy Krugger adorned his face, not at all caring to the mud and wounds that covered his body.

**He just fought.**

**And laughed.**

**And went back into the frey to fight some more.**

The feeling of endless bloodlust radiating off him was... eye opening. Since this was Isaia we're talking about. I've only ever seen him angry in my memories once before and... That hadn't been anything like this.

**This...**

_This was something else._   **Something darker.**

**Something much scarier than anger.**

_And I_ knew _, without having to look that much deeper into myself,_ I had the same exact thing.

...

_**I just hid it better.** _

* * *

The night sky was something to behold. So many stars... The moon glowing brightly above me.

It was autumn, I technically wasn't even supposed to be out here, since the roof was ' _dangerous_ ' for some reason.

But I needed to be out here. Inside the manor it was too stiffling, too hot and too loud. I needed the cold night air to think.

I needed to think about what I had  _almost_  done.

And pray for whatever deity there was out there that it wouldn't happen again.

...

**Is it sad that I knew that would be pointless?**

Sad that I knew I  _would_  commit the same mistake again? And  _again_?

_Is this how_ **Nero** _felt all the time?_

That's a daunting thought... And a frightening one. While I would love to discover more things I had in common with Nero, this particular ' _resemblance_ ' was dangerous.

**Very, very dangerous.**

I gripped my head, hid it in my hands and tried to clear off the voices that haunted my every move.

When they had first started, I hadn't minded them much. Apart from blabbering a lot, they didn't do much else, they also gave me great advice and information about what I had called 'Storms'.

_But nothing is ever simple, is it?_

Something's changed in me. It was so subtle I hadn't realized it had happened until it was almost too late.

**Or maybe it's just that I am only now realizing that I have this.**

And I only acknowledged its existence after I had talked with Chiara.

**Chiara...**

_That conversation left a bitter taste in my tongue._

In life you are  _but_  a person. You live and you die, be judged for your actions and not by who you are.  **I believe that.**

_And yet..._

Yet Chiara treats me as God himself incarnate. And that is  _wrong_ , because, while we did save her, we are  ** _not_**  Gods.  **We are human.**

_And we will die human, just like everyone else._

Like Giotto and G, Ugetsu and Knuckle... Even creepy Daemon.

There's right and there is wrong, even if the world is merely shades of gray, and today...

...

**_Today I almost killed a man._ **

He didn't attack me. He didn't attack any of the others. He was a target, true, but it was not my job to attack him.

We were there to retrieve him. It was so simple...

_Why...?_

It all happened so fast. I blacked out, and then when I came to Pace was restraining me along with Nero, I remember that they were struggling to keep me in place, Nico had Marzia by his side.

**Their faces... Oh, God...**

...

Giotto had pulled me off him. Knuckle had to heal him.

**And I have no idea why I did it.**

...

**I'm scared.**

I don't know why I did it, I don't remember even doing it!, and I don't know if I'll ever do it again.

So I asked Chiara, who was helping me bandage my hands at the time, for help.  _Just like Pace had_ always _told me to do if he wasn't there to help._

And she had merely smiled and said it wouldn't matter, because it was  _ **me**_.

...

It felt like insects were crawling all over me. The repulsion I had felt at that time almost made me shout at her, but I didn't.  _Because that would've hurt her._

I would never willingly hurt my Storms. I swear to myself to never do that.

_But her words..._   **They haunt me...**

**It's wrong.**  That just makes it  _worse_.

_I am not better than the common trash that live on the streets._  I know where my roots come from, and I will not spit on them and call them inferior to me.

**We are all human.**

...

_**But what if I am also a monster?** _

I  _enjoyed_  it, I know I did, I felt the thrill of it sing inside my head. Felt my blood boil and by adrenaline spike.

**To me, it was exhilarating. To him, I was a demon from Hell.**

Pace had told me that, with time, I would come to ponder on my youthful actions, on the ease with which I lay punishment to criminals. The men I had killed before.

_I had told Pace he was_ wrong _. I_ wouldn't _regret doing it._

**And I don't.**

But now... I'm unsure if that is because I honestly believe it was the right thing, or because the beast in me craves those deaths.

_I don't know..._

So I'm  **scared**.

**And alone.**

Pace is not here, he said he'd return soon. Giotto won't talk to me, nor will any of the others except Ugetsu, and Alaude already handed my ass to me today. No use going back to get a second serving.

_And the Storms..._

...

**I can't tell them.**

**I have to lie.**   _I have to_ **hide** _this._   **I _have_  to.**

_**They can't know... If they do...?** _

...

_**They'll hate me.** _

...

-So we'll hide, Master.- A whisper softly said.

-No one will know we exist, Master.- Another spoke.

I didn't acknowledge the voices. I kept staring into the night sky.

The sinking feeling pooling in my stomach.

**Could I even _lead_  the Storms? Could I keep them  _safe_? Could I  _help_  Giotto?**

_I don't know..._

_**I'm split in two.** _

_I'm the Temporale, the strongest of the Storms, their leader, and I fear I may have inside me the storm that could destroy everything I care about._

I fear... the unknown of it all.

_So...-_

"Isaia! Vieni dentro! Sta diventando freddo." Pace's voice startles me out of my musings. (Isaia! Come inside! It's getting cold.)

_**Pace...** _

I smile one last time at the sky.

**It doesn't _matter_.  _They don't need to worry._  Everything will be okay.**

_It was a_ one _time thing._   **A mistake.**

_**Except it wasn't.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Natsushi's knowledge of KHR is second hand. Firstly because the series focuses on Tsuna's side of things, and to Natsu Tsuna is Public Enemy #1; and also because it doesn't explore all the characters background.
> 
> Natsu knows Kyoya, knows who he will be and knows who he's 'friends' with, but before actually meeting him, we never knew anything about his family. Except that odd resemblance with Fon.
> 
> Next, of course, we have Yuurei's connection with Kyoya.  
> So, the way I see Kyoya's family is like an ancient clan, of sorts. The fact that one of the daughters refuses to follow tradition is enough to have her cast out. And that releases Yuurei of any family obligation he might have towards the Hibari's.  
> Yes, he's living there, but that's mostly because Kyoya's parents are the 'heads' of the clan.
> 
> All the Storms abilities are more 'physically' challenging than actual power. They are all powerhouses, they don't need to learn how to 'grow' stronger, they need to learn how to withstand the stamina requirements to wield all that power.
> 
> Hence, Natsu running circles around Taro, pressuring him into pushing himself to the brink and back. Not that Natsu is much better off.
> 
> They are all out of shape, poor kiddies.
> 
> Elias... Yes, that was uncalled for and very, very immoral. You also keep forgetting that children, and Elias is quite possibly the most 'oblivious' of them all, aren't the best moral compasses out there.
> 
> The phrase 'Kids can be cruel' didn't make itself up. She is learning that people that want to, basically, enslave them are coming to Namimori in six years. In her mind, if they are 'superhero powerful' why shouldn't they kick their asses and make them regret even trying?
> 
> But this is not a cartoon. Actions have consequences, and they are living through those consequences.
> 
> The Storms are seen as monsters, they should do their very best to prove them wrong, not right.
> 
> Now, this is where it gets complicated.
> 
> Storms are complex.
> 
> Their powers are not 'processed' by mediums (eg. rings, box weapons, etc) and as such the raw power, the raw will of those flames, runs around freely inside them. And we don't know just how much that changes someone. Their psyche and emotional balance.
> 
> Think Ryohei's 'extremeness' extreme. Now, let the thought sink in that, while he's strong for a sun, he's not even on the charts in regards to the Storms.
> 
> Yuurei's violence streak was mild. And that's because he's five and his powers have only began to 'awaken' a year ago. He's basically been kicked out of his hometown by his parents because he was already getting out of control... in a single year.
> 
> There's still six more to go.
> 
> Their mentalities will shift from 8 to 80 in a blink of an eye. They can be the sweetest little cuddlers you will ever meet and they can just go out and flat an entire forrest because 'we were just playing'.
> 
> When I say the mafia world is scared sh*tless of them, I'm not kidding. They have Reborn, the World's Greatest Hitman, and even he would never try to attack a Storm in full control of his powers, much less five Storms at the same time.
> 
> Due to this power imbalance, the Temporale, who theoretically keeps them from self-destructing, suffers from a very, very dangerous mean streak. Natsu is 'alright' but he could potentially kill someone without batting an eyelash. Oh, sure, he'd suffer for it later, regret it even.
> 
> But he could do it.  
> And that's what scares him. And I would think it would scare anyone.
> 
> It's a scary thought of being told their responsable for six lives other than their own. It's downright terrifying that there's those little letters in fine print that you didn't bother to read and nobody thought to warn you about them.


	39. Part II - Chapter 11

"It's starting..." A voice murmured into the dark sky, starless and with only a glowing inverted half-moon iluminating its surroundings,"Soon... Soon it will all fall into place..."

"Yes, Master." Another figure answered from where it was kneeling before the tall imposing figure, wrapped in a thick dark cloak.

"Watch over him... He'll need... someone..." The figure told it, voice distant,"There's no going back after this."

"No, Master, there isn't. I'll follow your command, I'll watch over the Temporale." It answered.

"Teach him... Guide him... Give him all the knowledge he needs to thrive... Promise me..." The figure turned to look at the kneeling person.

A single blue-green eye gleamed in the faint moonlight, it blazed with swirling power.

"I promise, Master. I vow to you that I will forever protect the Temporale, for as long as I exist, even when my services are no longer required." The person bowed low to the cloaked man," I'll stay by his side, always, Master."

"Good..." The cloaked one murmured," Then go... This is goodbye..." It says.

A moment of silence, broken by the quiet words of the kneeling one.

"Yes, Master. This is goodbye." It agreed.

"You've..." It started before shaking its head, looking straight to the kneeling one,"You have served me well... It has been an honour, Samael."

The kneeling one startled, raised it head so fast the hood of his cloak almost flew back, and stood at attention immediately.

It tried to say something, anything, but words came out as a gurgled mess.

It bowed its head down again.

A sniffle.

A chocked sob.

"... It has been an honour serving you, Master..." A pitiful murmur, gone with the whipping wind.

Like crumbling ash, Samael slowly faded from existence, and the night was quiet.

The inverted moon gleamed, the deserted forest around the cloaked figure swayed.

"Soon..." It whispered,"... A brand new cycle... Another spin of the hourglass..."

The wind picked up, the forest hummed with power, a single eye blazed wildly once more.

**"Remember, dear Temporale... Remember and...-"**

* * *

Waking up feeling as if I had no sleep the night before is nothing new really. And wasn't that sad?

I was turning four years old in five months and I slept like a insomniac college graduate, too used to spend entire nights awake and with a very poor diet. Speaking of poor diets, my body was starting to show signs of all the stress I was enduring.

**...**

I was going to have grey hairs by the time I turn twenty, I'm already calling it.

'This is so messed up.' My thoughts are fogged with exhaustion.

\- You should rest longer. - The white fox nudges my cheek.

Its nose is cold.

I turn away from it, my arm cover my eyes and I groan.

***Wishishishi***

The creepy rippling sound of fading snickering make my eyes fly open and sit up on the bed in a flash. Green crackles of electricity spark off my fingers.

My eyes roam the room in search of whatever it was that made that sound.

***Wishishishi***

My head spuns around to stare at the foot of my bed.

Two smoldering purple eyes, pupiless and blank, stared back at me, cowering in a completely black cover at the foot of my bed.

For the first time ever, as far as I can remember anyway, I woke the whole household with a single shriek.

* * *

My shadow stared back at me.

The gigantic mass of darkness that stretched out from under me stared back at me with those smoldering eyes that I was beginning to hate.

I averted my eyes away from it.

***Wishishishi***

My eyebrow twitched. Oh, there wasn't a more annoying sound than that snickering.

\- It's his way of showing affection.- The pure white fox reassured me with a bland tone.

I glared at it.

"Oh, I'm sure it is." I mockingly agreed.

Who that ' _he_ ' was?

That f-ing whisper that oh-so helpfully contradicted the white fox.

He gained shape... In a way, I had to add as I observed the swirling black mass curl around my feet.

***Wishishishi***

_Shut up._

\- You know he's not going to stop.- The fox tells me.

_You shut up too._

\- Rude.- It huffs before going away.

I glare at the shadow under my feet.

Its smoldering eyes turn to look at me, blank purple circles, eerily reminiscing of wide open jack o' lantern eyes.

There's a single moment of silence, and I dare to hope that it would go away too, but then-

***Wishishishi***

I throw the pebble I had been turning around in my hands across the backyard.

* * *

It was mid February when I finally realized that something was wrong. And when I did, I probably proceeded to making it worse by tackling it head on without any type of plan.

_Wasn't Fox_ always _telling me_ not _to do that?_

***Wishishishi***

_Shut up!_

Chiyo was avoiding me. Not only avoiding me but avoiding everyone, Father, Takeshi even Elias, and this was very problematic for me because a) I was the problem, or b) it had something to do with the fact Chiyo was starting to show signs...

**She was having nightmares.**

I could hear her cry out through the wall that divided us and if I was anything other than the Temporale I would've chalked it up to the stress and tension that was currently going on in the household. But since I was the Temporale I knew better...

**She was remembering, just like Taro was.**

Like my life  _couldn't_  get any more stressful!

***Wishishishi***

_Kami, will you shut up!?_

My shadows swirls and flickers under my feet, the pounding in my head intensified, I was tired. I wanted to sleep.

I hadn't had any nightmares, but there was a weight in my mind, whispers inside my thoughts that were not my own.

The fox would show up unnanouced whenever it wanted and this shadow...

I glared at my feet.

My shadow now, I figure... Wouldn't leave me alone. It was constantly laughing or humming or simply pestering me with its gaze.

I wanted it gone. Like, right now. Gone. Shoo...

But noooooo, that would've been too easy. I was forever cursed with the unwilling presence of a sarcastic and disturbing shadow.

Takeshi and Chiyo hadn't noticed anything different with it, they just saw a plain shadow, when they caught me yelling at it to go away (in an incredibly embarrassing fashion) and Father...

Father wasn't actually talking to me. Oh, he'd go and say a few words, mostly if someone brought me into the conversation or he needed me to do something or at the dinner table when we were all small chatting.

But he wouldn't talk ' _talk_ ' with me.

I was basically non-existent in his eyes.

Those once-warm deep brown eyes that Takeshi shares wouldn't meet mine.

Rejection hurt more than any lightning burn I'd experienced. Even the times where I almost died hurt less than this.

Mama... Would she reject me too if she had been here? If I had told her who I was? What I was?

I don't know... Mama loved Natsushi, her baby, but would she love Natsushi, the Temporale?

**...**

_I don't want to think about it._

\- You should.- The white fox's voice echoed inside my head.

'And you should shut up and stay out of my head', I grumbled in thought, 'but we don't always get what we want, do we?'

I heard a distance huff of breath in response, which was promptly ignored. I didn't have time for this...

Realistically, I barely had any time to myself. It was February, in two months Takeshi and Taro would be seven and four, respectively, and then it would be Chiyo's birthday and then mine, in July.

We were both turning four.

**In six years Vongola was going to find us.**

Vasco was all alone. I had no idea who our seventh Storm was and no idea where we would find it. I needed to get us all safe, I needed to get them all here.

But that wasn't easy. Especially when your caretaker outright  _refused_  to allow you to step outside unsupervised.

**...**

_Well_ , I guess that's another reason as to why I learned how to climb a fence. Good for Asa to remind me of how not to fall on my head.

I needed to run some errants.

* * *

There's a moment, in everyone's lives, where you mess up so badly that you kind of think back on every other moment of your life and ask yourself:

**How did we get here?**

Well, my case was more worrying than I getting lost in Namimori.

Way more complicated than if I had been caught shoplifting, which I hadn't, but a three year old carrying money on him is unbelievable to some people, for some reason.

No, my case was where fate  _literally_  smacked me so hard in the face that I stumbled and fell on my ass, in the middle of the sidewalk, and had the guts to stare it down with  **absolute certainty**  that it would be better to just take my earnings and leave.

I got up first, the palms of my hands scuffed up from the ground, and I picked up by package, and had to actually clench my hands around it to keep from pushing the person in front of me away in repulsion.

**...**

**That or strangle said person.**

_(Wouldn't it be best if you halted destiny right here?/Just a small zap, no one is here, no one would know.../You could prevent the future from happening...)_

I tried to ignore the dark whispers and thoughts swirling inside my head. They beckoned and called for me, called for the blood of one who would wrong me.  **Who would hunt us down like animals...**

_(Just do it./Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!/C'mon! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!/Kill it!/Do it! Do it! Do it!)_

I took a shuddering breath. Held it in and mentally counted to ten.

-It is your choice, in the end,- The white fox materialized over my shoulders,- Whether a choice is right or wrong,  ** _no one_**  can tell for sure, Temporale.-

_(Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!)_

I closed my eyes and tried not to scream in pain, the voices were so loud. They clawed at what little sanity I was managing to use to keep my head above the water.

"Owww... I-i-it h-hu-hurts..." The person before me whimpered, holding its hands to the back of its head.

Fluffy brown, air-defying, fly away hair and teary caramel colored eyes, scuffed knees, hands and with his shoe laces untied...

**Sawada Tsunayoshi.**

A tiny six year old kid.

_(The **Vongola**  Decimo-to be.)_

An  _innocent_  civilian.

_(A Vongola **Don**.)_

A weakling that cried just as easily as he smiled.

_(He'll take **everything**  away from you.  **Just like his predecessors.** )_

He was...

_(He will be...)_

A child.

_(So are you... Would **they**  care?)_

Unaware of my internal breakdown, the boy eventually picked himself up.

He was barely any taller than me... Chiyo probably reached a bit over his shoulder, and she was shorter than I was. He was just a kid, I couldn't do anything to him, he had nothing to do with me, not yet, at least.

**But then reason flew out of the proverbial window when he reached out to touch me.**

I saw his hand first, of course, Kyoya's instruction had engrained in me the instinct to always be aware when there's a sudden movement or when something strays too close for comfort.

_I felt_ **it** _not a second after that._

I nearly gagged in disgust when the emptiness inside him revealed itself, the cold and so, so wrong feeling of... nothingless that he carried inside him.

Before I could abort the motion, I had already hit him.

He fell back on his butt, hitting the ground hard, and his hands flew to his nose. Blood seeped from between his fingers, his eyes were wide, so wide, and so fearful.

_He was crying again._

**But he didn't scream.**

_No..._

**Whatever it was that he saw in me, at that moment, had scared him so much that he remained perfectly still and silent.**

I ran away after that.

**...**

**When I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but fear.**

_I saw Isaia's worse nightmare come true._ **I saw the same monster that stared back at me in the mirror when I wasn't paying attention.**  The boogey-man that  _hid_  in my shadow.

***Whishishishi***

I ran all the way over to Kyoya's house. Out of breath and trembling in both terror and from the cold weather, out of my mind in confusion, exhaustion and worry.

Kyoya opened the door.

He didn't say a word when I threw myself at him and held onto him like a lifeline. Yurei didn't comment or mention it afterwards. Kyoya didn't questioned me why. Neither boy left me alone to my thoughts.

I stayed the night.

Sandwiched between him and Yurei, plagued by nightmares that kept me up 'till dawn.

**...**

As sad as the thought is...

_That was the best night's sleep I would have for months._

And it was the start of my slow descent to rock bottom.

* * *

**But you know what they say about hitting rock bottom, right?**   _(No other way to go than up.)_

* * *

My eyes drooped with sleep. My head thunked the side of the chair I was sitting in and I jerked awake.

It was officially March.

Chiyo and I hadn't had a decent conversation in two weeks and I hadn't talked with Father for a month. Takeshi was torn between 'allegiances' amongst us and I...

_I was just_ tired _._

Father had actually payed a neighbor to take us shopping for school material, and to sew the name tags onto said school material. I tried not to see the disappointed in Takeshi's eyes when he announced that.

I tried not to flinch when Chiyo quietly stepped away from us and went off by herself.

I smothered my heart when it cried out in despair at the abandonment.

Elias had been over for a bit, coming over to pick up Chiyo and take her shopping, I didn't see her (and my best guess as to why was because if she had Chiyo would've refused to go with her) and Yurei was... away.

His family had came to Namimori to visit for the week.

Taro was still banned from seeing us, though he called me (or his brother did, whatever) to tell me how he was.

His dreams were getting worse. He was starting to picture memories and past events that he knew he had no right of knowing, but they were thankfully still too blurry to put together successfully.

_(Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.)_

Currently, by my last estimate, I was on my third week of less than three hours of sleep, and my whole body was starting to drag.

I had actually woken Takeshi up the last time, which was a first, and it had scared him into pleading with father to take me to the doctor.

So that was where I was at.

Father was signing me in, over by the nurses' station, and I was idly kicking my feet back and forth, if only to focus on something other than my pounding headache, whilst sitting down on one of the plain plastic waiting chairs.

***Wishishishi***

And just like that my headache worsened.

Please _, I do_ not _have the mental capacity to deal with you too..._

\- You shouldn't strain yourself so much. You'll fall ill,- The white fox told me, perched on my shoulders, head resting on mine.

**It was warm...**

_Leave me alone._

_(Please don't leave me. Warmth... I'm so cold...)_

\- Temporale?- The fox asked.

**_Leave._ **

It left.

My shoulders were suddenly a lot colder and felt heavier.

There was a strange silence inside my mind. My shadow swirled and pulled at its edges, but it too remained quiet.

The silence was infuriantingly dreadful.

Father wasn't even looking at me. The nurses were enganged in a happy conversation with him if their smiles were anything to go by.

He didn't care.

_I was numb._

Why did I care? He was... he was  _meaningless_  in the grand scheme of things. A wrench in our plans. A bump on the road to our dreams.

**I shouldn't care.**  If a single man's opinions mattered more to me than our dream then it would just mean one more generation of bloodshed for us.

_I_ really _shouldn't care._

But then I would remember Mama and her smiles, the warmth of a parents love is something nearly all children know and take for granted, until the moment that it is gone and they are left scrambling to find a way to find that warmth again.

**I wanted my father to love me.**  To hug me and listen to me.  _I wanted him to look at me and... and_ **be** _there._

But here I was, sitting in this chair, sick and lost and so tired, while he stayed back and talked with the nurses, not even glancing my way.

**...**

_That was it._

I silently rose to my feet, stumbling and needing to find my balance again, my vision swayed as I did so, and I left. The hospital hallways all looked the same, same white tiles and the same white lights, long windling things that had wide windows on one side and numbered doors on the other.

I had no destination in mind, merely placed on foot in front of the other and walked.

People walked past me without looking at me twice.

_I was a ghost._   **Invisible.**

**Meaningless.**   _I didn't exist._

_My footsteps were silent._   **Unnoticed.**

After a while, having walked down two flights of stairs and passed countless hallways, I found myself standing in front of a familiar double door. There was a plaque on them, showing its name, but the characters were unfamiliar to me.

I could read english perfectly, I knew the latin alphabet without any effort, thanks to Asa, but kanji were beyond me.

Learning how to read and write hiragana had been bad enough.

Shrugging off stray thoughts I pushed the door in and walked inside.

Light casted colorful shadows through the painted glass.

Angels and saints, an altar and holy books on the seats. Candles burning...

The hospital chapel... Asa's memories whispered in my head,  _" These halls have seen more prayers than a church."_

**A sad truth.**

I sat down on the bench closer to the front, picked up the black covered book and leafed through the pages. The words blurred before my eyes, my head was heavy and I couldn't really focus on anything for long.

The shadow beneath my feet stretched under the bench, its darkness swirling lazily in odd patterns, and seemed to sigh in boredom.

I didn't look much into it, mostly because paying attention to what it was doing would undoubtly mean I cared about it (which I didn't, please just go away and shut up), but also because I tried not to dwell too much on the swirling darkness I saw under my feet.

Shadows were always dark. It was a shadow, obviously it was dark, but nothing should have that thick consistency of mud and all absorving black color.  _It scared me._

**If eyes were the window to your soul what does your shadow say about you?**

**...**

As usual I ended up passing out on the chapel, because, (of course), if I was going to pass out from exhaustion it should be in one of the last places people check. Though, and I have to give them props, it took them less time to find me than the last time I 'went missing'.

And on the bright side?

Father had looked quite disapproving of my behavior and had to admonish me in front of the staff. (As a good show of correct parenting, I'm sure.)

But in order to do so, he had to look at me and actually talk. Vocal words, no silent gesturing or the cold shoulder treatment.

He talked to me, to my face, and I had to try my hardest to not look inconceivably proud of that fact.

That wouldn't have been helpful in any way.

**...**

So, in the end, after the doctors had done their tests and what-not I was diagnosed with stress and insomnia (surprise, surprise) and sent home to get a good meal, relax and try to go to sleep.

Yeah... Nice advice, medical professionals. That's not really going to work though, since it was life that was stressing me out.

_Ah~_ If _I had said that instead of staying quiet and nodding along like the good child I am_ not _,_ that _conversation would've certainly been interesting._

* * *

It was March 5th when I cornered Chiyo.

Like, I actually cornered her in the house and tackled her down onto the ground.

Takeshi was out of the house, Father was busy downstairs, and I had a clean window of ~6 or so minutes to get a reason out of Chiyo as to why she wasn't talking.

Except, of course, Chiyo wasn't talking and I didn't have forever to work this out. In fact, my clock was ticking and I was not going to have another opportunity like this for a long while. Chiyo would start paying more attention to her surroundings and ambushing her when she was on high alert was just asking for a vicious snake bite.

_Speaking of Seth..._

My shoulder trobbed painfully where he had bit into me. And my eyes better be deceiving me because there was blood running down my back.

"Natsushi! Get  **OFF**!" Chiyo spit and hissed at me several times as I wrestled her under me.

She could punch harder than I remembered she could (when was the last time we play fought and rough-housed together?) but Kyoya was bigger and stronger than both of us and if I could stand being kicked around by him then it was my pride on the line if I couldn't stand her punches.

However, I did not take into consideration that Kyoya fought hand to hand, like Yuurei did, but Chiyo was a long distance fighter.  ** _Specifically_** , a long distance fighter especializing in  **illusions**.

I had seen her using them in practice. I had seen her making them faster and better. I had seen her creating new and inventive creations.

_But I had never been on the receiving end of them..._

**Why would I?**

I  **lived**  with her. I was her  **brother**. We were  **family**.

_...When was I going to stop assuming that titles and blood_ mattered _?_

In the face of a stronger opponent, in the face of a situation she knew she couldn't win in the opponents terms... She did what we had agreed to do.

_She levelled the odds in her favour._

**She changed the playing field.**

And she commited the unthinkable against me.

I saw her pink eyes darken, I saw the dark blue flames flicker free behind them, and  _then..._

* * *

**I saw her smile first.**

The warm, blinding smile with which she would always look at us with. The smile that haunted my memories and brought up so many emotions...

**She stood there, a few feet away from me, and just _smiled_.**

Her hair fluttered in the invisible breeze, wearing the same dress as the day where we saw her last.

_She smiled and motioned me to come closer._

She kept smiling and motioning for me but I was frozen in place.

_**I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't... I couldn't** _ **think** _**!** _

_Mama... **Mama**_...  _Mama was here. She was_ here _._   **She was right there!**

Her smiled dimmed after I failed to approach her. But she kept trying, harder and harder to get me to come closer.

**My heart told me to _run_  into her embrace.**

**My mind told me that this was all a lie and that I should get _out of here_.**

_But the heart..._

-The heart is wrong... The road to hell is paved with good intentions...  _And right now, you're walking_ **so** _close to the edge of insanity you_ **don't** _have the wiggling room of speculation._   **Get out of here, Temporale.** \- The Fox's voice startled me, but soothed my thoughts.

_I wasn't alone in here._

-You're never alone, Temporale,- It reasured me,-You will never be alone, no matter where you go.-

"She's calling me."

-She is but an illusion. Fight this off, Temporale,- The Fox urged me,-Staying here is madness,  ** _acknowledging_  **this as reality is  **madness**.-

"But she's calling me..."

-And the others are too.- The Fox speaks, blunt tone forceful,-  _ **Who matters most to you? The**_ **dead** _ **or the**_ **living** _ **?**_ -

I close my eyes, the ghostly figure of Mama disappeares into the darkness but I can still feel it calling.

"Get me out of here... Get me out of here now."

-I cannot do that, Temporale.- The Fox sounds very frustrated with that statement,- I cannot interfere with this illusion. You must break it yourself.-

"How exactly do I do that?"

I can almost see the Fox's uncomfortable expression.

-You... can overpower the illusion, which might take a while, you're powerful but you have nowhere near the amount of control that requires,- the Fox answered,- But the other option...-

"What's the other option?" I asked.

-You must play this out. Force reason into the illusion. Unbalance it, prove it is not real.- It answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked, lost.

-You must... You must confront it with the reason why its existence is impossible.- It worded carefully,- You have to... continue the illusion up until the point its existence is rendered void.-

It clicked then.

"I have to  _recreate_  her death...?" I opened my eyes in shock.

Mama was there, frowning now, her lips turned downwards.

-Yes.- The Fox quietly answered.

I gulped.

-You don't have to move or do anything. You can close your eyes and just... command the illusion to... play it out.- It said.

**I couldn't do that.**

It  _broke_  my heart to admit it but I couldn't kill her without looking into her eyes.

I couldn't dismiss her death as something to shut out and block away. As something I should stray away from.

**I killed her.**

_So I would face it and be judged for it._

**...**

**It was the least I could do in her memory.**

* * *

Three minutes and thirty-four seconds.

I was out of it for three minutes and thirty-four seconds.

Chiyo had gotten out from underneath me and rushed downstairs to get Father when I didn't break off the illusion in the first forty seconds. Father tried to get me out of it after the first minute had passed.

Chiyo's panic made it impossible for her to just rip it off me without causing undue damage and Father... Father was no Storm. His flames could calm me down from giving myself a heart attack from the stress of the illusion but they couldn't get me out.

When I opened up my eyes I was downstairs, on top of the dining room table and Chiyo was crying beside me. Trembling and shaking and apologizing.

Father looked relieved. His shoulders dropped and he relaxed.

I blinked once before sitting up.

Chiyo went to hug me but I stopped her.

I looked at her and I felt this...  _numbness_  inside my mind.

_Static inside my ears._

"Don't do it again." The words fell out of my mouth.

I shrugged off my Father's words (didn't acknowledge he spoke until I was halfway up the stairs and didn't see the point of backtracking by then) and left the room.

_I crawled inside my bed and laid down._

**...**

* * *

The Prairie was warm. It was quiet and no one was in it.

I ignored everything around me and walked straight into the castle like house near the bottom of the mountain. I pushed the door open, it dragged but open it did, and I stepped inside without a single thought.

The door closed shut behind me, and I felt myself plunge into darkness.

The weak breeze that floated in the endless black void was cool to my skin. The wooden floor of the gazebo a cold comfort.

There was a new star shining up above me.

"Why would it matter if I ' _Accepted_   _it_ '?" I asked the white fox that rested around my shoulders.

-Because you could've given up in the face of your pain, but instead you accepted it as it was and did what needed to be done.- It answered wearily.

"And that matters?" I asked, frowning as I gazed up at the small white dot.

-More than you think.- The Fox said,- Look to your right. Can you see it?-

I obliged and turned my head to the side, there were rocks further away from the gazebo, and I knew there was something unseen far off in the distance. But I wasn't sure what the Fox was referring to.

-On the ground. Can you see it?- It asked.

I turned my gaze downward and focused on the dark void.

Even with all my focus locked on searching the ground I nearly missed it.

_A thin green stalk growing out the black void._

"A plant?" I blinked, before my eyes darkened,"There isn't a reason as to why it is growing."

-It's a project.- The Fox smiled,- Your choice as to what to do next.-

I frowned harder.

"I don't get it."

The Fox chuckled.

-It is your choice, Temporale, whether or not that 'plant' grows inside this void or if it reverts back into nothingness.- It answered,- It's a first step towards something, Natsushi.-

I gazed back to the plant. To that thin green stalk that swayed with the weak breeze.

Part of me believed it was pointless, something that weak looking wouldn't, obviously, survive all the craziness that went on inside me.

But the other half of me was... amused. Cheer on the underdog and all that.

_Give it a try._

_**Give it a chance.** _

_It might surprise you._  It might give you a reason to believe that tomorrow will be better.

I snorted at the thought.  _Not likely._

**But not impossible.**

**...**

I dismissed the thought.

"Where's Chuckles?" I asked aloud,"He's been pestering me non-stop for weeks, I find it unlikely he'd just stop like this."

-He's waiting.- The Fox answered cheerfully, not even denying the part about him pestering me.

_Figures..._

"Waiting for what?" I indulged the Fox in voicing the very obvious question.

The Fox gave me a toothy grin, fangs displayed, and answered a simple:

-Waiting for you to call his name, Natsushi.-

I gave the it an unimpressed stare.

"Oh, I wonder why I didn't think of that! It's not as if I don't know its name!" I deadpanned.

The fox rolled its eyes.

-Look into yourself, Temporale. You know our names. Search for them, you'll know them when the time is right.- It answered.

I sighed, closed my eyes and focused on the annoying black mass of shadows that was constantly underfoot.

No pun intended,  ** _obviously_**.

But nothing called out to me. It was just me and my thoughts, an eerie silence inside my mind, alongside the beat of my heart.

I opened my eyes again and sighed.

"Forget I asked."

-Temporale...- The Fox frowned.

" **Don't.**  I don't care... I just want to rest. Can you leave me be?" I asked it.

The Fox sighed, evidently reproachful of my attitude, but nodded and faded from sight.

I laid back down on the floor of the gazebo and looked up at the two lonely stars in the wide dark sky.

" _Sing me to sleep... Sing me to sleep..._ " I quietly hummed," _I'm tired and I, I want to go to bed..._ "

I closed my eyes, from inside the darkness I recalled the broken memories of a girl gone too soon. I recalled a girl sitting at her desk, late in the night after everyone had already gone to sleep, penning letter after letter only to discard it or burn it in the morning.

" _Sing me to sleep... Sing me to sleep._ " My breathing slows, I relax, and I feel myself falling through the void, seamlessly," _And then leave me alone..._ "

* * *

"Don't try to wake me in the morning, 'cuz I will be  _gone_." A weak voice sang along to the music drifting from the headphones covering cold nipped ears.

There was snow everywhere, and the little hidey-hole the young girl had stuffed herself into wasn't much shelter from the frozen menace, with smoke coming out of nearly all the visible chimneys.

"Don't feel bad for me, I want you to know..." It sobbed," Deep in the cell of my heart I will feel so  _glad_  to go."

"Asa! Where are you?! Come inside now, honey!" Her mother called from up the street, most likely worrying about the darkening sky. Its orange color was slowly turning a pale purple, and soon it would be a perfect indigo.

And then darken into a deep deep blue that would only let candlelight and starlight gleam on its surface.

"...Deep in the cell of my heart I  _really_  want to go..."She kept singing along, ignoring the way her chest would tighten at the words or the way her cold hands still gripped the crumpled letter.

_It wasn't fair._

**The old man warned you, didn't he? He said so _long_ ,  _long_  ago. Did you listen?**

_It wasn't fair._

**You get what you deserve.**

_It wasn't fair._

**So what are you going to do about it? Write _him_  another letter?**

_...Stop..._

**Stop what? Reminding you that you _knew_  this would happen all along? That it was foolish to hope  _this_  time would be different?**

_...Please stop..._

**Stop _what_ , Asa dearest? Call you out on your delusions of hope? Nope, little Asa, can't do that!  _Someone_  has to remind you!**

_...Just stop..._

**But if _I_  stop,  _you'll_  forget!**

_...I can't do this..._

**Then go on and _leave_. Stop  _daydreaming_  and ** **face** **reality. I'm only as _real_  as  _you_  make me to be, and until you make me, I'm  _not_  going  _anywhere_.**

Tears... There's tears streaming down her face now. The entire world sways, blurs and shifts... Back and forth, it keeps shifting one way then reverting and going back to normal.

_...It hurts..._

**What are you going _to_   _do_  about it? Huh, A~sa?**

_...Go away..._

**Why would I when this is _so_  much  _fun_?**

_...You're hurting me..._

**No, I'm not. Look up, Asa, and tell me... _Who_ am  _I_?**

The girl's eyes are red, tears stain her face, but she still looks right into the mocking face staring back at her.

**Face the _truth_ , my dearest... You  _knew_  this would happen, what do you plan on achieving with these useless hopeful attempts at ' _friendship_ '?**

_...Normal people have friends..._

Spiteful laughter sounds so loud around her that she flinches.

**You're _not_  normal, Asa Lynn, and you  _never_  were.**

Words worded so carefully to hurt as much as possible.

_...I will be...One day, this will all be behind me..._

Silence meets her words, and she hopes it will remain.

**_Hope_  is for fools, my dearest, and your ' _day_ ' will  _never_  come. Never forget, Asa,  _monsters_  live in  _darkness_. There's  _no_   _place_   _for us_  in the light.**

_...I'm not a monster..._

Her voice is weak, but her eyes do not stray from the hateful gaze.

A scoff.

**Of course not, dearest.**

Then there's something that flashes through its eyes.

**But you're _not_  one of  _them_  either.**

The metaphorical knife digs deeper into her back and her breath quickens.

**You'll _never_  be one of them. You'll  _never_   _truly_   _belong_  here.**

" _SHUT_ UP _!_ " The girl shrieks and her hand strikes out against her tormentor.

"Asa?! Asa, honey?! Are you okay? Where are you?!" Her mother's voice calls out in worry.

Blue watery eyes blink once, then twice. The silence coming from her headphones worries her and the sight of a broken icicle clenched in her hand makes her want to run and hide from the world under her bed.

"ASA!" Her mother yells in panic when she catches sight of her huddled in a small niche up on the highest ledge of the neighborhood statue.

The girl quickly gets down from her spot and reasures her mother with a quick smile and silly mentions of catching sight of an empty bird nest.

She shoves her shaking hands deep into her pockets and never tells her mother what had happened to make her climb the ledge in the first place.

**The letters stop coming, she stops writing replies, life is as unbearable as ever and when someone asks her what's wrong, she _lies_.**

* * *

_Chiyo is sorry._  She's feeling guilty and she  _wants_  to talk to me, I should be glad and overjoyed she's not avoiding me anymore. But everytime I see her, there's a stab of anger inside my chest and the hurt emotions of betrayal that threathen to make me regret my coming actions.

I don't want to hurt her, especially if it is by accident or by my lack of control over my emotions, so  _ **I**_  am, ironically, now  ** _avoiding_   _her_**.

I sidestep her every attempt at communicating and run at the slightest chance of contact.

At night, she knocks on the wall, for the first time in months, in our secret code and my heart hurts.

_I'm hurting her by refusing to knock back._

_I'm hurting her by lacking the heart to accept she messed up._

**I'm a monster.**

I  _must_  be, to be so callous with the people that surround me.

-There's still time to make things right.- The Fox whispers in my ear.

_I_ know _. But not **now**._

Now... I want to drown out these emotions. These memories... I...

_"I don't want to wake up on my own anymore..."_

The memory whisps through me and I breathe in once and count to ten.

-You're not alone. You are never alone.- The Fox reminds me.

_You're not what I need..._

-You want comfort. But I cannot give you that, and you know so.- The Fox murmurs,- So call him. Call the one who remains with you when I cannot, because it exists deep in your truest existence.- It sounds tired.

I opened my eyes and turn my head to the shadows beneath my bed.

A thrum of power reverberates deep inside them.

My mind whispers once, then twice, then thrice until its booming voice is nearly splitting my head.

" **Azrael**." I call out to the shadows.

The swirl and grow thicker, stronger and bigger than ever before. A grotesque shape of mud-like black substance towers over me, the bunk-bed, and nearly reaches the ceiling until it all disolves away.

In its place is left a dark clothed person. Long black hair is tied on the back of its head with a icy-blue ribbon, black gloves with golden stitching cover its hands and there's a mask over its face.

A red kitsune mask with gold details, only its eyes are visible behind it.

Two swirling purple eyes that glint with madness.

Its voice echoes in the quiet of my room as it leans over me, holding onto the bars of the bed above mine.

***Yo, King... Lon' time no see, yea'?***  It crackles at me.

I slowly gaze into its eyes and feel the pulse of...  _something_.

I'm suddenly tired. My eyes are drooping as I try to make sense of it.

"You're... late..."I yawn.

It chuckles lowly, and I feel the bed sink lower as something sits on top of it. The covers are pulled over me and tucked in.

***Never, King.***

-You're not alone, Temporale.- The Fox whispers.

_"I don't want to wake up on my own anymore..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Chiyo and Rentaro (plus Yurei) were the ones caught in the immediate backlash of Natsu 'harmonizing' (so to speak) with Yurei. Taro viewed Yurei's memories alongside Natsu whilst Chiyo got zapped by Natsu when she startled him.
> 
> Taro's memories started reappearing shortly after this, so its no out of the question that Chiyo's would too.
> 
> Reason it took so long for Natsu to notice is because a toddler shouldn't have to be the one doing so. And said toddler is practically oozing stress and emotional trauma through its ears.
> 
> \- Tsuyoshi is trying his best. But sometimes 'the best' is not enough and what's best for us is not best for others. People need time to cope with loss and pain, unfortunately Tsuyoshi (very much like Natsushi) can't catch a break.
> 
> It's a downward spiral that will keep going until stopped. And Tsuyoshi isn't stopping it. Do drop suggestions on what you'd like to see happening.
> 
> \- Natsushi and Tsunayoshi. Now, here's the thing. Natsushi knows 'who' Tsuna 'will become' and he knows that he doesn't want to become what Natsushi knows he will become.
> 
> But Natsushi is terrified. He lives terrified and since he was one year old he has lived in terror of being found.
> 
> Now, Natsu knows that in six years, Vongola is going to come calling. And he knows that if he hasn't done anything in six years that prevents the Vongola from either killing them or rulling over their lives, they are dead.
> 
> Seeing Tsuna, feeling the emptiness that sealing his flames has caused in him, was enough to make him panic. Problem is, Storms panicking might as well be the sign of the apocalypse.
> 
> Once Part III starts, you will notice that if Natsu can work around Tsuna's 'adventures' and be ignored, the better he will sleep at night, but the moment that he is caught in one of Reborn's schemes, that's when things get icy.  
> Metaphorically, Taro is a sweet kid and he'd hate having Kyoya after him to clean up the mess he made.
> 
> \- Kyoya and Yurei know Natsushi better than the others because a)Natsushi doesn't actively hide who he is in front of Kyoya (because Kyoya was a better human lie detector than Natsushi was a liar at that point in time) and b)Yurei knew 'what' Natsushi was before he knew him. He instinctually understood that he was the 'alpha' and his word was rule.  
> The others don't understand that nearly as much.
> 
> \- Chiyo's reaction to Natsushi wanting answers is understandable in theory, very poor in practice. You do not put stress and emotional trauma on an already overworked, stressed out traumatized individual.
> 
> \- Natsushi is like a wrapped present. (Especially one wrapped up by a particular pissed of relative) Where you peel away one layer and there's another underneath that one. And by the time you've peeled everything away only questions remain and no answers.
> 
> Asa's memories, they were always there merely unaccesseable, and so it isn't that much of a stretch that Fox's name and Azrael's were always inside him too. Remember, Fox once told Natsushi its' name but Natsushi couldn't understand him.
> 
> \- The Song I used in this chapter is "Asleep" by Emily Browning, if you didn't know or didn't recognize it.
> 
> I particularly love the last two verses (which I didn't use): "There is another world. There is a better world./Well, there must be. There must be."
> 
> It served its purpose and left us all feeling miserable, props to me. Whohoo! (Yeah, no...)
> 
> \- Asa. Oh, Asa. I've said this many times before but I really wasn't going to publish this story, especially the first chapter. So, there are parts I can't really explain without it becoming too personal. The bare bones of the situation? Self-hatred is a b*tch and you never abandon those you once held dear, no matter what. Or for whatever price.
> 
> Asa lived with a shitty situation and somehow made it work, for the short time she actually lived, and that's all there is too it.
> 
> Read between the lines, and mentally connect the dots that Isaia became Asa and Asa became Natsushi. Their memories all converge into one person (Natsu) and that reigns hell inside him.
> 
> \- Azrael. Okay, so, there's two sides to a person. A light side and a dark side, pretty simple, now, most people have both sides pretty defined but solidly 'mended' into their own psyche.
> 
> Natsushi has so many problems that having split personality isn't nowhere near the top of that list. It's easy to see now that Fox is light (as if the color wasn't a dead giveaway) while Azrael is his darkness.
> 
> Natsu, with all his memories and problems, identifies himself closer to a monster so 'comfort' cannot (in his mind) come from light, because monsters fear light, and so Azrael comes into the picture.
> 
> He won't always be 'fully human' in appearance, but the times he is not, he's 'supporting' Natsushi from behind the (his) shadow(s). (Ah! That wordplay right there!)


	40. Part II - Chapter 12

Waking up to something warm and breathing was surreal.

_(And so, so very sad...)_

I slowly opened my eyes to see a black kitsune mask resting on a pillow, pulled slightly up enough for me to see the chin and mouth of the person wearing it, and to the realization that I was snuggled up to a complete stranger.

_Yet, I felt as if he wasn't._

See, when I woke up and felt the rise and fall of someone's breathing right next to me, I was petrified with the awkward feeling of 'how did this happened?', but then I remembered, very vaguely I fretted, what had happened and I relaxed.

This was  **Azrael**.

He was my _shadow_.

My hidden monster.

_**Myself.** _

So I let my head fall back against his chest and listened.

There was a calm and serene heartbeat in his chest that brought me such longing, such peace, that took my breath away. It was such a familiar heartbeat...

Can't think of any reason as to why he would have such a familiar heartbeat, maybe because his heartbeat was my own? I don't know, and I don't really care enough to know why, but he breathed and that brought me more comfort and warmth that it should've. Truthfully, if I wanted to cuddle up with someone I could've just climbed the stairs up to Takeshi's bed and ambushed him.

But I didn't want to.

It's callous of me to distance myself from him like this, but I really can't bring myself to face him, ever, if I wake him up to night terrors and screaming. Thankfully I have the ingrained instinct to scream or cry into my pillow but such techniques wouldn't work whilst sleeping with someone else.

But Azrael wouldn't judge. Wouldn't question or try to reason with me.

**He understood. He _knew_. And that was enough.**

So I let myself half close my eyes and focus on the warmth his body brought me. I saw Fox sleeping (totally faking it, the know-it-all) at the foot of my bed curled up to a wool blanket I had no idea I had.

I took a peak at the window through the opening of my curtain and pondered if it really was as early as I felt it was or if my internal clock was broken.

_Again..._

Nah. It's still early. I can afford some more shut-eye.

Only for a few more minutes...

* * *

Natsu was sleeping.

To normal people that would be quite simple and... well, normal. But Chiyo knew, she  _knew_ , that there was nothing normal about Natsu. Or his family. Or his friends...

... Basically reality around Natsu stopped making sense in general. Yeah, that doesn't sound as bad as it did in her head.

Think positive and all that... stuff...

But going back to the reason I was lost for words.

Natsu was sleeping. At half past noon and still showing no signs of waking up.

...  _At least he was breathing?_

**.**

**.**

**.**

Huh, this sounds so bad! It's not as bad as it looks! Or sounds like... whatever...

Natsu, as a rule, woke up before everyone. Oh, sure, he stayed in bed until Papa got out of bed and got breakfast ready, but everyone, and their mothers, knew Natsu was awake before the sun got out from behind the mountains.

That was, of course, if he had fallen asleep at all during the night.

Baka Sushi-chan thought I couldn't hear him toss and turn during the night... Well, I couldn't... Not really.

But Seth could!

And Seth told.

_' Los soplones reciben su merecido, Amaya.'_ (Snitches get their comeuppance, Amaya.)

The cold chill that crawls down my spine everytime I hear his voice haunt me.

Jesus, not even death seems to give me a break from him... Like, I don't have enough emotional crap to deal with without adding up m-...  ** _her_  **problems.

**I am _not_  her.**

Not  _now_. Not  _ever_.

She's  **dead**. Move on.

_But how do you do that?_

¨They cannot harm you. No one can harm you, dear one, not while we exist.¨ The hiss Seth gave me brought be back from panicking.

He was right... As always...

_Ugh._

Natsu was sleeping.

I was glad. He was starting to look sickly and gaunt with each passing day. He wasn't eating enough and always running off somewhere (believing, once more, that he could do so without anyone noticing) and leaving us behind.

Not that I could blame him... I've been avoiding him for ages...

¨He'll forgive you, dearest. You know your Temporale cannot send you away from his den.¨ Seth assured me.

I gave a silent snort at his words.

**_But my brother can hold grudges._**  My brother can hate me. My brother... my brother can... he can ignore I exist.

¨We both know that is not true. Your brother, which we both have watched grow, cannot hate you. Cannot bring himself to hate you, dear one.¨ Seth said,¨You know why?¨

**Because Natsu loves as easily as breathing.**  He fools himself to believe he keeps everyone at arms length but he holds his heart in his sleeve.

His thrice damned and blessed bleeding heart that brought hope and dread to me.

¨You'll protect him, my dearest, fret not.¨ Seth hissed.

_He'll get hurt because of that heart of his._   **He'll forgive someone, one day, that he shouldn't have and he will pay for it.**

¨And that's why you'll be right there beside him to yell at him when he's acting foolishly,¨Seth gave me a hissy chuckle,¨Isn't that right, Chiyo-tama?¨

I smiled slightly at the familiar nickname. Natsushi didn't say it anymore, at least not vocally, and it was sad to see such big part of our identity be erased, slowly but surely, from recent memory.

_Just like her..._

_**No,**_ **stop** _ **.**_   _We are_ **not** _going there._

¨He's peaceful.¨ Seth remarked, eyes boring intently into Natsushi's relaxed expression.

He was right, as always, and I smiled at the silly little smile that showed in the small corners of his lips. I brushed my hand through his hair, it was growing longer again, almost brushing his shoulders, and marveled at how soft it was.

My hair was crisp and thick, a rich blond color that turned bright gold in direct sunlight, but his... Unlike Takeshi and Papa, whose hair was spiky and tended to stand on end for no reason, Natsu had thin soft locks of hair that, if grown long enough, would curl at the tips.

He looked adorable.

**Like a porcelain doll.**

When he was awake Natsu always had this stern expression on his face, or guarded eyes that flickered with caution and fridgid anger when he believed no one was looking, that brought attention away from his looks but towards whatever lie he was trying to spin to the public that day.

Natsu didn't look like a child whenever he was awake, more like a... an elder?

I frowned in thought.

Natsu sometimes looked like he was constantly worrying about something. Which could be chalked up to being the Temporale in a mafia ridden world, that was true, but there was something else that didn't make sense...

¨He's a lot more messy when he's tired...¨Seth mutters as he looks around the room from where he was on my shoulders.

I look around to see the damage and snort at the sight of Natsushi's 'neatly' arranged desk. Takeshi used it to work on his homework but he prefered to do it downstairs, since it was closer to the shop and therefor closer to Papa, but Natsu loved the desk.

_Or any surface he could easily reach actually._

As long as it was clean.

Natsu had a vague aversion to messes and chaos when it came to office supplies or writing materials. Pencils had to be in their places, books properly arranged and Kami forbid you knock over a pile of paper onto the floor.

I had actually seen the last one happen, Takeshi did it, not me,  _obviously_ , and his face had been priceless. He wanted to be so angry at Takeshi but whenever he tried to he couldn't get past the hurt puppy-dog-eye look our brother gave him.

Too bad he got over that weakness.

Sighing, I went to clean around a bit. As an apology, of sorts, since he didn't seem to be waking up any time soon and he would appreciate the clean space.

¨I don't recognize these...¨Seth hissed, two notebooks before him,¨Do they belong to Takeshi?¨

I went up to him and picked them up, they were standart notebooks you could get at any stationary, with one being a greenish color while the other was a simple tan color.

Both notebooks had Natsushi's scrawly handwriting at the bottom so I ruled out Takeshi's envolvement, our older brother knew Natsu had the worst caligraphy ever and has always,  _ **vehemently**_ , refused to allow Natsu to catch any of his school materials unsupervised. Something about Natsu's tendency to scribble words or sketch-y drawings had caused the teachers to make him stand in the hallway one day.

Natsu apologized, but  _still_...

I shrugged off unimportant thoughts, following Natsu's color preferences I opened the greenish one, the one he would grab first and more specifically favor over the tan colored one, I was met with words.

**Words written in latin letters.**

_**English**_.  ** _Words_**.

My brain needed a few seconds to process that actually. I blinked slowly once I came back to reality and carefully read whatever it was that Natsu had written (because there was no doubt in my mind he had been the one to do it since Takeshi couldn't even recite the ABC's in english without tripping on his tongue, let alone write actual words) and shut the notebook faster than Natsu outran scissors.

I looked over my shoulder to see if anybody was watching before I peeked into the notebook again.

_Reading the first paragraph gave me a headache._

**Reading the first page brought me chills.**

I was horrified when I noticed there were seven more pages, front and verse, completely full of similar narrations.

Going back to the first page I starred at the bold letters, written in bright red, that read:

**6 years 'till Vongola Arrives in Namimori**

_What...?_

What can he possibly mean by Vongola arriving in Namimori in six years?!

_Oh, seven hells,_ Natsushi _..._

I turn back towards his bed, his peaceful expression suddenly doesn't make me feel any better. In fact, it only raises more awareness to the dark bags under his eyes and the way he'd slink around the house in fretful energy.

**He always looked worried.**

_Now I knew why..._

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Like hell I do.**

"Wake up, Baka-Sushi!" I hit him over the head with the notebook, mildly impressed by the way he instantly springs upright and his hands charge with electricity.

His eyes are fogged over with sleep, and that brings me some guilty feelings (he needs his rest), but once he sees that he isn't being attacked by unknown assaulters he groans and rubs his eyes.

"Chiyo, whyyyyyy?" He whines.

I stand straighter and cross my arms, notebooks in full display, and I notice his awareness return and eyes sharpening. His focus turns to the books and he pales.

_Oh, **good**._  He  _knows_  he messed up, that saves me some time.

"Care to explain,  _dear little brother_ , why,  **oh why** , there's a  _ **mighty**  _ **big**  warning written in this?" I sweetly asked him.

His eyes look into mine and he winces.

"I  ** _knew_  **I should've coded it..." He mutters, hand covering his face, before he sighs.

"I want an explanation, Natsushi." I tell him.

He looks to me again, eyes weary and... hesitant.

I glare at his expression, he's not going to sprout some excuse not to do this," I highly advise you to choose your next words very carefully, Natsu."

His shoulder hitches a tad higher and his fingers twitch.

"I'm  _ **waiting**_." I continue.

"It's a long story...?" He grimaces.

I cock my eyebrow and tilt my head slightly.

Wordlessly, Seth climbs off my shoulders and slithers to the door, pushing it shut, and curls up against it. Dark shadows materialize around him and set a perimeter around the door.

I knew Natsu was aware that I could keep people and sounds out of range for a limited time period.

"I have time." I assure him.

His annoyed expression was startlingly cute.

* * *

**I couldn't tell her the truth.**

Not the full, unaltered and unfiltered version of the truth, at least.

I mentally went over what I had written on the green notebook. Mere plans and simple facts of information I found relevant or important right now, hence the number of written pages in contrast with the tan notebook's three written ones, and I internally sighed in relief that I had not written anything regarding the reincarnations or the origin of my knowledge.

So, Chiyo knew I knew important things, very shady and unrealistic information packets, but not where I knew it from. Good.

_...And bad._

**I need an excuse.**

The look on Chiyo's face only makes this need intensify.

I needed an excuse  **NOW**. A convincing one.

-The best lies always hold some sort of truth in them,\- The fox told me from where he still laid on the bed.

*** Play to her interests. Spin da' story in da' direction ya' want by leading her away from da' questions ya' do'n wan' asked.*** Azrael yawns, red gloved hand coming to push his mask over the rest of his face.

_Okay_.  _Okay, I can do that..._

Chiyo knows I know stuff I shouldn't, always have, but not where I got it from.

_Can I even pretend there's no source?_

-You can. Skies have famously been cited as seers and oracles, long ago,\- The fox answered with a nod,- Smart idea.-

A memory filtered through my mind.

_Like Yuni? Or is it Aria still? Like Sepira?_

**_Sepira_**...  _That name feels_   ** _nostalgic_**...  _Odd_.

***Sky Arcobaleno abilities, King? Ya' sure play with high stakes!***  Azrael crackles, *** Like da' way ya' think!***

I feel the urge to roll my eyes.

_**So**  glad you agree._

"Natsu. Spill it." Chiyo glares," Or I will take this downstairs," She threatens.

No, she won't. She's lying. Bluffing.

My eyes take in her nervous habit of gripping her left wrist with her right hand, the tilt of her foot and the aggressive energy rolling off of her in waves.

She's nervous. Scared.

**_... I can use that._ **

( _Gods, those words choke on my lungs. They freeze in my veins causing agony inside me because you should **never** , _ **ever** _, use your own family..._ )

"I wrote that... Because I was afraid I would forget." I started, fist tightening around my hair," I was afraid that if I forgot something... Someone is going to get hurt."

Chiyo frowned.

"Who told you this? Why didn't you tell us anything? Does Papa know?!" She ranted.

"No one told me." I told her.

Chiyo throws the notebooks onto the floor.

" **Liar!**  It's impossible for you to know this without someone telling you!" She nearly screams in my face.

"I wasn't told by anyone. I saw... I saw everything happen already..." I easily wove my net of lies," In dreams."

Chiyo rears back as if struck.

"Dreams?" She blinks rapidly," Like Isaia dreams?"

I shook my head. Those were much less violent than Asa's memories and much ' _softer_ ' in terms of blunt emotions it brought me.

"These dreams are different, Chiyo." I told her," They haven't happened yet. But I don't know which ones are scarier..." I truthfully confided in her.

She frowns again.

"What happens, Natsu? What's so scary?" The questions is worded so innocently that I recall Elias' face when I told her we were in Vongola territory.

I think of some answer that while frightening would not make her run out and start gearing up for war.

_Let's not show too many cards too soon..._

-Chiyo values family, do not mention your brother's possible fate.\- Fox warns.

***Tell her that Vongola is gonna to face trouble and that they'll come knockin' in order ta'... recruit mo' members. Tell her ya' need ta be ready ta defend yo' home, but nah immediately.***  Azrael suggests.

_Brilliantly told._

"Vongola is breaking apart,"I start,"Nono's sons are dead or dying, dropping like flies one after another, and so there needs to be an heir..." I answered.

"What does that have to do with us?" She asks.

"The future heir lives her, Chiyo, Namimori belongs to the Vongola. They are going to show up here in six years and they are going to tear this city apart when they find us." I tell her, eyes flashing with comtempt," We need to be ready. We cannot move, we cannot flee, in six years we need to be able to stop Vongola in its tracks and... And, Chiyo,  ** _I'm scared_**..." I choke out.

Chiyo wraps her arms around me, her hearbeat is thumping loudly against her chest, and she's warm.

( _A warm, clingy octopus that slowly choking the life out of me..._ )

"Kami, Sushi..." She breathes," No wonder you couldn't sleep!  ** _Dios_**!"

I twitch.

"Spanish?" I grumble," That's new." I pointedly jab my finger in her ribs.

She pushes off me with a grunt and red cheeked. Eyes burning with embarrassement.

"It's... a... a..." Chiyo stuttered out, eyes flickering away from mine.

I sighed.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me anything... Just... If it gets too much, I'll be here, alright?" I let my shoulders drop.

I can't force an answer out of her, it will antagonize her to me and that cannot happen, even if it's driving me crazy not knowing what's going on in her head. That said... I can't say whether or not letting her off with these memories is the right thing to do.

-It's her choice, in the end, and even you, Temporale, must abide by her wishes. Unless you demand her obedience in return for her standing as your Sabbia,\- Fox replied, voice muffled from behind its tail.

_**Never.** _

"Is that all you wanted?" I asked her," Or can I get up?" I snarked at her.

The twitch of her eyebrow was highly satisfying.

Chiyo screaming at me because I'd already slept half the day away (not really) so why should I pretend I care now?

_Not so much._

**...**

_But it wasn't so bad._

***Ya da' foolest King I evah' met...***  Azrael crackled, swiftly returning back to my shadow.

I rolled my eyes behind her back, and side glared at the swirling purple eyes that laughed at me from the shadows beneath my feet.

***Wishishishi...***

**...**

_Don't you_ dare _start, Aza._


	41. Part II - Chapter 13

"Hello, brats, how kind of you to join us." Kazue-san's sarcastic remark is the first thing that greets Chiyo and I once we step into the kitchen.

Her hair is longer than I remember it to be but she looks as bored as ever, which is, for some reason, reassuring. She hasn't changed much since I've last seen her, before Mama died and life went off on a tangent.

"Kazue-san? What are you doing here?" Chiyo asked.

"Your Grandma has informed me you have too much time in your hands if you can cause as much trouble as you have these past few weeks, plus you'll be going back to school soon enough. It'd be best if I could place some sort of routine into you now than to have to drag you kicking and screaming to practice later on." The woman answered with a shrug.

We gazed shrewdly at her.

"You never had to drag us to practice, though." We told her.

She raised an eyebrow.

"We'll aren't you cute? Still wearing matching outfits?" She joked.

"Still looking for a boyfriend?" Chiyo snickered.

_Ouch._

Kazue-san's flat expression was pure gold.

"Brats... So not cute, what was I thinking..." She sighed," Go get dressed, we have errants to run."

Chiyo and I ran back up the stairs with matching grins, missing the fleeting gleam deep in Father's eyes.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me?" Kazue asked.

Tsuyoshi remind silent for a few moments.

"... It's nothing. Mere fatherhood doubts, it's okay, I think I'll manage." He smiled at the woman across him.

Kazue rolled her eyes at him.

" _Men_... There's a whole line of people who'd help you, Yamamoto-san, if you'd just ask." She grumbled," You don't need to face this all by yourself. Grief is processed differently by each person, I can assure you the kids are alright. They'll be back to normal soon enough."

Tsuyoshi sighed.

"I'm not too sure about that." He murmured.

"Kids are made of sturdier stuff than most adults! You'll see, talk to them, sit them down or strap them down and talk as a family." Kazue shrugged.

Tsuyoshi gives her an empty chuckle.

"I'm... uncertain if that is possible right now..." He covers his eyes with his hand.

"What happened?" Kazue-san asked, leaning in over the table.

"Natsu." Tsuyoshi sighs, "He is..." He tries to come up with a word.

"Special?" Kazue-san raises a single eyebrow," Or are you going to address the fact he's  _leaking_   ** _flames_  **all over the place?" She sighed.

Tsuyoshi's eye grew cold and his whole frame froze, shock and apprehension suddenly overtaking him.

" _ **Who**  _are you? How do you know  _that_?" He quietly snarls, making sure he's voice doesn't carry upstairs. Her back is to the stairs, she's closer to the door, his sword is still underneath his bed... If he has to run up and grab it before she does it's going to be a close call. But he's positive he can take her on.

"A music teacher. And I know about all  _that_  for the same reason  _you_  do," Kazue answers him with a deadpan look," You're not the first person to retire and try to live a civilian life and certainly won't be the last."

"Why did you move here?" He asked them, leaning back in his chair.

"This is as close to a neutral ground as you can get without explaining your presence here to a Don and have to jump through hoops to get a residence card," She shrugs," I'm not here for any nefarious deeds you are trying to cook up inside your head, I never even heard about your kids before their Grandma asked me to teach them how to play an instrument."

"Do you know... Natsu's...  **condition**?" He picks his words very carefully.

"Aah... So that's what has you do upset with him?" Kazue blinks before groaning," What are you thinking? You know doubt and uncertainty inside a Family is the one thing a Sky  _dreads_  the most, right?"

**_Sky?_ **

"Sky?" Tsuyoshi blinks, uncertain and confused in equal measures.

Kazue gives him a look like she couldn't believe the words he was speaking.

"Your son, your  _youngest_  son, excuse me, is a Sky. A powerful Sky at that," She tells him, speaking slowly and enunciating everything carefully.

"Natsu's not a Sky," Tsuyoshi says, his head is feeling faint.

"Tsuyoshi, if Natsu's not a Sky then I will eat my gun." Kazue shakes her head," The kid's eyes have gained an orange tint more times than I can count whilst playing something. Are you telling me you never noticed that?"

_Orange tint..._

**Oh.**   _That._

He had. Tsuyoshi could count the times on one hand of when Natsu's startling blue eyes flickered orange when arguing with him or when he was lost in thought. The first time he had seen them flicker was when he woke up on the hospital after M-Mariko's ...- Mariko's accident. He was still too out of it to speak or be coherent but Tsuyoshi couldn't forget the way the blue gave way to orange before fading back to their original color.

But Natsu  _couldn't_  be a Sky... He was the Temporale.

**Temporales aren't Skies...**

But then...  _ **Where do the Sky flames come from?**_

"Natsushi is the Temporale." Tsuyoshi's own voice startles him out of his reverie, astonished he said that aloud. He hadn't meant to reveal that.

_Had he?_

Kazue's eyes widen and her breath stutters. She blinks twice before exhaling.

"That explains so much... Then Chiyo...  _Regular_  Guardian or is she...?" Kazue asks.

"He has four of the six already." Tsuyoshi puts his head in his hands.

"Oh,  ** _crap_**." Kazue sighs, "Does  _he_  know?"

"Yes. And he is resolute in having them all learn how to control their abilities and how to fight." Tsuyosh denies the tiny hint of whining his voice might've took.

Kazue gives him a sympathetic look.

"He's right, you know, four powerkegs loose inside a single town without control or training is a disaster waiting to happen." Kazue points out.

"They're  **children**! They  _shouldn't **have**  _to learn this! They are  **too _young_**!" Tsuyoshi stresses the last part with a glare.

"And either Natsu or Chiyo  _have_   _already_   **blown**   _up_  a bridge." Kazue reminds him, "They can still be children and learn all that. Won't it make you feel safer that they can play around in a playground with other kids and won't accidentally hurt someone if they scrape a knee or get scared?" She asks.

Tsuyoshi doesn't say anything but the way he lowers his head is answer enough.

"I'll keep them at my house this afternoon while you clear your head and think,  _really_   _think_ , what is best for them, not as your children, but as potential hazards to their own safety." Kazue tells him getting up when she hears footsteps running down the stairs, "Tell me your answer when I bring them home, and remind yourself that there are more people who would eagerly offer you help dealing with all of this if you'd just ask."

"Like  _who_?"

"You know two brats your youngest has managed to befriend are not from a white collar household, right?" Kazue doesn't even wait for a response, "If you show up on their doorstep and ask a few questions whether or not they know who you are you'd be surprised on how appreciative they'd be to help the brats learn how not to accidentally cause collateral damage during a temper tantrum."

"Natsu has never had a temper tantrum." Tsuyoshi points out.

"And Chiyo? I heard one of the Hibari brats was sent here because no one could control his temper anymore, have you heard about that?" Kazue asks, "Did it hit close to home how  _these_  two could have turned out?"

Tsuyoshi hid his wince perfectly.

"I'll... keep your advice in mind." He replied instead.

Kazue scoffs.

"You better, those kids don't deserve the trauma they'd get if they hurt someone without meaning to. And I better not find out that you caused his Sky affliction to grow any more than it already has!" She gives him a glare from over her shoulder.

Tsuyoshi wanted to remind her there's no way for Natsu to be a Sky, but he just nods his head and watches her leave. Hearing Natsu and Chiyo bicker back and forth whilst putting on their shoes feels like a balm to his heart.

When Chiyo had ran up to him, in panic and utter fear, to tell him Natsu wasn't waking up after she dropped an illusion on him was one of the scariest moments of his life. Trying to get Chiyo to calm down enough to strip him off the illusion and failing, having to keep his son's heart calm enough so it wouldn't atrophy and stop was nerve wrecking, but what takes the cake was his  ** _empty_  **gaze when he opened his eyes again.

He had seen that gaze before on countless men and women when he decided to run after Natsume and join the mafia. Desperately trying to keep his friendship alive and his best friend in contact with his family.

Of couse, being a freelance hitman made it so that he had very few chances to even speak with Natsume, the trophy bodyguard of Vongola Nono's firstborn son, but he tried.

But after Natsume's sword and letter had been given back to his family, not even allowing them to put his corpse to rest because Vongola Law was that he was to be cremated and kept inside one of the Vongola's Mausoleums as a reminder that the Vongola had had a Temporale serve the Famiglia, he didn't try as hard as he had to keep diving into the dark void of heartbreak that was the mafia life.

He got out as soon as he was given the chance for a clean break, married Mariko and swore to himself that he would keep his family out of the underworld when Takeshi was born. But he  _never_  forgot those empty eyes so many people he'd encountered had.

The look of someone who had lost something so vital to their existence they were trying to pick up the shattered pieces of themselves blindly, cutting their own fingers on the jagged edges of their hearts.

He called out of Natsu, reached forward to grab and hug him, relieved he was awake and moving but Natsu just ignored him. Walked right by him.

"Don't do it again." He morosely told Chiyo before stepping out of the living room and up the stairs.

He truly felt like  _he_  h _ad lost something_ so  _important_  at that moment that he almost fell to his knees.

He had tried to say something to him all week but whenever he tried no words would ever come out, Natsu just walked right past everyone not really saying a word or seeing him, ignoring Chiyo's attempts of apologizing simply because he couldn't even see he was doing it.

He wanted space to think, to decompress and try to start over but he was too tired to do so, he simply couldn't.

So he started a cycle of self-harm that he was unable to break by himself.

But he's  _ **better**  _now than he was yesterday... He's talking to Chiyo... This  _ **doesn't**  _make  **sense**...

_Temporales never do, though, the stories all tell you that. Don't you see? This is just the beginning, he's just going to get worse, just like **Him**._

Not if I can help it.

_And what are_ you _going to do?_ Forbid _him from using his powers? **Shut him out of his flames?**  _Hide _him from the world? **Go on the run?**_

**...**

Tsuyoshi bowed his head and wept.

"I will teach him how to use  _his_ sword."

* * *

Kazue-san's house hadn't changed a lot since they'd last been there, with the exception of a couple of photographs and music sheets he didn't remember seeing before.

"What are we doing today?" I asked, not covering the fact I itched to get my hands on the new music sheets, I still couldn't read them as Kazue-san and Grandma thought I could but I was starting to vaguely remember the songs they contained. If Isaia had played them, of course.

"We, my-not-cute-apprentices, are watching old videos today." She tells us with great aplomb, gesturing to the dozen or so DVD boxes laying on top of the coffee table in the the middle of the living room.

"Old videos of what?" Chiyo wearily asks.

"Sit down and find out," Kazue snorts.

Chiyo and I share a look between us but sit down on the couch beside her anyways. This was bound to be interesting.

Kazue picks up the first box and opens it, a white CD with a handwritten title was inside and she quickly turns on the DVD player.

"Are these homemade films?" I ask her, frowning.

She gives me a grin.

"They are homemade but they're not mine, I borrowed this off from a friend," She tells us.

"You have friends willing to  **let**   _you_  borrow stuff?" I ask.

"Forget that! You honestly have  _friends_  in general?" Chiyo takes the teasing a step further.

Kazue-san flicks her on the forehead.

"Shush you, little she-devil, I'm sure the only reason you don't have any fight records in school is because Natsu here prefers to get in trouble outside of school," Kazue-san rolls her eyes.

"True." Chiyo shamelessly nods.

"Hey!" I kick her," Not true!"

"So true." Chiyo and Kazue-san answer at the same time and make faces at each other when they realize that.

I huff a laugh.

***Wishishishi***

_I am not dignifying you with a response, Aza._

***Wishishishi***

\- Ignore him,- The Fox materializes on my shoulders,- He's happy you look better.-

_Of course he is._

\- It's true,- The Fox chuckles,- Between the two of us he might be the one that's most attached to you.-

The shadow grows quiet, purple smoldering eyes seemingly glaring at the Fox.

_He is me. He's part of me._

\- So am I,- The Fox tells me,- We have both been here since the beginning.-

_But I am closer to the darkest part of myself than to my own light_ , I reply.

Both shades go quiet.

_It's true_ , I mentally shrug, _no use lying about it. I identify myself_ better _with the darkest part of myself than with the side of me that wants to be more than just a monster._

\- You are  _not_  a monster,- The Fox growls.

_No. I'm not_ , I reassure it,  _not really. But_ thinking _that_ **I** _will ever be_ more _than just a monster to_ **other**   _people is wistful thinking._

\- How so?- The Fox sounds confused.

_**I will always be the Temporale.**  The Temporale to them is a  **monster** , a ghost story, a freak. I know I am better,_ I shrug,  _but I also know that **no one but the people closest to me will realize that**._

\- So Azrael is how you see yourself, who you identify with, but now who you truly are.- The Fox muses.

_Surprised at my mature way of thinking?_  I teasingly ask.

\- Surprised on how different you are from what we were expecting.- It answers,- But it's a nice... change, from before.-

I roll my eyes.

_Glad to be of service._

***Wishishishi***

_Shut_ up _._

"Natsu-chan~? Are you sleeping with your eyes open?" Kazue-san is staring at me.

"No." I answer.

"Then what did we just watch?" She grins.

_**Crap.** _

"A video." I answer with a straight face. Chiyo snorts beside me.

Kazue-san is not impressed.

"A video about what?" She specifies.

"Music." I guess.

Chiyo burst into laughter.

Kazue-san gives us an exasperated sigh.

"This is important guys, you need to know what to do in a recital. Please pay attention." She tells us.

Ah, so the videos are old recital recordings.

\- Look there! -The Fox's sudden yelp startles me,- That box title!-

I look down at the table and my eyes widen when I see the exact same thing the Fox did.

I reach for it and stare at the title in the box.

* * *

**'Isaia Belmonte, Teatro Politeama, Cello Concerto in A major B. 10'** , it read.

"Chiyo..." I breathed in shock, turning to face my sister, face pale and eyes wide," You won't believe this."

She turns to me and grabs the box, as she reads the title her face pales too.

"He got recorded?!" She burst out, loudly, catching Kazue-san's attention.

"Oh,  _that_  one," she says noticing the box in our hands," I remembered you liked italian based music, out of all the ones you played here those were the most frequent, so I asked him to send me one that struck a cord."

"Why did this one strike a cord?" I asked faintly.

"Oh, it's a kid that plays it. He's what...? Fourteen? Fifteen?" She shrugs," Want to play that one?" She asks.

I stare at the box Chiyo is holding.

_Do I_ want _to see it?_

"Maybe it's not the same Isaia," Chiyo tries.

I give her a quelling glare, odds of that happening (with my luck) are depressingly small.

"Yeah..." I try to smile but it comes out as a grimace," Let's hear it."

I had the box to Kazue-san and try not to notice her questioning expression, simply look to the tv screen, waiting for it to start playing.

"Well, okay, kiddo. Just be warned that this one is old, like really old, and so the quality might not be the best. Especially since this is the recording of a recording." She shrugs.

I don't care, I want to tell her, but the words die in my throat.

_I can't_ truly _be Isaia, can it?_

\- There's a chance it is,- The Fox tells me,- Isaia performed for years, played in many theaters and opera houses.-

_But would Giotto allow Isaia, his '_ son _', to be filmed?_

-Back then Vongola was not seen as the world's most dangerous Mafia Famiglia, instead they were notably sympathetic vigilante group in Sicilly,- The Fox told me,- They weren't necessarily hiding, and it was seen as prestigious to have a child who could play an instrument.-

_Playing an instrument for the prestige of it is different than to play in a concert._

-True, but that just gave Isaia a public image that helped him create more connections.- The Fox explained.

Before I could say anything else the recording started, colorless and with a bit of grey noise in the background. Truly, not the best quality for a recording but that all ceased to matter when he walked on stage.

**It was him.**

_Isaia._

**That was _me_  walking down that stage.**

_My past life._

I heard my heartbeat loudly in in my ears but focused on the screen. The way he was dressed, his facial expression, the way he stood, they all screamed at me that this was surreal. That was my face starring back at me, I could imagine the green/blue color his eyes would have, the color of his hair and skin. I could see the theater's colors and feel the weight of the cello in my hand.

_Wait..._

_That_ **cello** _..._

" ** _Mara_**...? **"**

I closed my eyes when something flashed before them, thundering applause met my ears and when I opened my eyes again I was standing in front of a crowd. I felt the warmth in the air and the weight of all their stares on my shoulders, highly aware of the musicians standing at my back.

I stare out at the crowd and see Marzia and Pace waving at me from one of the upper boxes, Daemon and Elena sitting beside them, most likely the ones Giotto tasked with accompany us here and keep a watch over us.

The maestro gesture to me and I bow, wave at the crowd and take my seat on the elevated platform, gracefully setting my cello in position and wait for my part to start.

The varnished wood of my cello is cool against my skin and I feel a vague sense of acomplishment over the beauty that it is. My cello named Mara, one of the Stradivarius cellos created and handed down to me as a ' _loan_ '. And I say ' _loan_ ' because don't think I'll ever be able to let go of it.

_Perfection  at the palm of my hand._

As I hear the melody start I get ready. Tonight I'd make one of my teachers proud by playing his song perfectly.

I raised my bow high in the air and felt my fingers press onto the strings of my cello.

**Tonight was my night.**

* * *

_Music. Applause. Lights._

My heart beating out of my chest as the house roars their approval, the flowers showering the stage with its perfume and color. My family on their feet clapping and cheering.

**Eyes wide open, smiling to the crowd and bowing in honor of having played for them.**

_This was my spotlight._

* * *

I blinked my eyes and found myself back in Kazue-san living room just as the recording was ending. I stayed quiet as she retrieved the DVD and placed it back in the box.

"What did you think?" She asks, turning to face me, eyes trying to hide their curiosity and failing.

"Are there more recordings? Can they be found? Who is he?" I asked in a single breath.

Kazue-san startled by my rapid fire questions and shrugged.

"I don't know, but I guess we can find out." She tells us as she gets up and walks out of the room.

"Natsu..." Chiyo whispers when Kazue-san disappears around the corner," Was that Isaia?"

"Yes," I answer," That was Isaia, the first Temporale." I tell her.

"Your eyes shuttered briefly when it started playing," She told me," Did you remember that day?"

"Night, actually," I smiled," That concert was at night, Marzia and Pace were there too. Along with a Guardian of Giotto." I added.

"Really?" She blinked.

I nodded silently.

"I knew the composer of that concert." I leaned my head against her shoulder," He was one of my music teachers, though he didn't really think cello was the best instrument to play."

"That's because it's the harp that's the best instrument." Chiyo smirks.

I scoff.

"My cello is a million times better than your  _puny_  harp." I tell her.

She pushed me off her shoulder.

"Blasphemy!" She mockingly places a hand over her heart.

I smile at her teasing but before I can tease her back Kazue-san returns with a computer.

She sets it up on the coffee table and opens up an internet browser.

"So, what do you want to know first?" She asks me.

_So many things_ , I want to tell her.

**But I settle for the most important question of them all.**

"Who is he?" I ask.

**Who was Isaia Belmonte?**

_Who was_ **I** _in my past life?_

The sound of Kazue-san's typing are like bell tolls in my ears.

"Here we go." Kazue-san hums,"  _Isaia Belmonte was a cellist born in 1865. He was a prodigious player, starting to play several of his teachers compositions at the age of thirteen all throughout his short life._ " She read.

"Short life?" Chiyo frowned.

"Ah, it's quite unfortunate." Kazue-san sighs," I remember some people talking about it when they listen to his recordings and the performents he played, it was a shame to lose such potential."

"What do you mean?" I asked, hands curled into fists beside me.

"Isaia Belmont _perished_ in 1883,  _supposedly_  from a hunting accident," Kazue-san answered, turning to look me straight in the eye,"  **Isaia died when he was 18 years old.** "

* * *

**_Blood._ **

_So much blood..._   **Screams**  and shouts...  _ **Fire...**_

**I see so much fire...**

" _ **Isaia!**_ " A shout to my right makes me turn my head.

My eyes meet tired green, a bloodstained smile that makes my blood freeze in its veins. A glimpse of terrified caramel brown could be seen from the corner of my eye but I focused solely on the green eyed young man before me.

**Gone**   _was the lankiness of youth._

_**Gone was the innocent weightless, unimaginable** _ **hope** _**.** _

**_Gone was the chance to make things_  **right ** _._**

"Pace..." I murmur, reaching forward with my hand.

( _Why can't I_ move _? Why am I_ stuck _in place? Why can't I_ reach _him? **I have to reach him!**_ )

There's a whole inside my chest, raw and hurting and I feel a flair of pain coming from my shoulder.

I see Pace opening his mouth. I focus on his words, trying to hear them despite the chaos around us.

**'Non...Preoccupare...-bene...-Dispiace, Isaia.'**  He says. (Don't...Worry...Alright...Sorry)

I feel  _something_  from deep within my bones.

**Something hollow.**

**Something _weak_.**

**Something _broken_.**

I desperately try to break from the spell that has me frozen in place but it's  ** _meaningless_**.

I see him smile ( _ **one last smile**_ ) and I see a single tear fall from his green, green eyes.

" **PACE!** " A screams tears from my throat.

_But it's **too**_ **late** _..._

My world turns into ashes before me, my ears ringing from the explosion, glass shatters and blood spatters fly across the air, the screams, tears and yelling intensify.

I feel as if my heart has stopped.  _ **I can't breathe.**_  My eyes, blind and unseeing, can't help but stare at the blacked space where he once stood.

**He's _gone_.**

_( No!)_

**He's _dead_.**

_(No, he's not dead!)_

**He's _gone_.**

_(He isn't, stop lying!)_

**My fault...**

_( My fault?)_

**It's my fault...**

_( Why is this my fault?!)_

**It's all my fault!**

_(How can this be my fault?! Answer me!)_

" ** _Perdonami._** " My voice goes unheard amongst the ashes of what could have been. (Forgive me)

Thunder rumbles and crashes down to the earth, cutting through all those than angered it's master.

_White noise meets my ears and I look to **see-...**_

_**NATSUSHI!** _

Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so, I have 2 questions for you guys:  
> 1\. What would you like to see of Kazue-san, the music teacher/person of interest?
> 
> 2\. What would you like Tsuyoshi (Natsu's/Chiyo's/Takeshi's dad) to do?
> 
> Moving on to the fine details in this chapter:  
> Tsuyoshi isn't heartless to his kid's pain, he just honestly has no idea what to do. He wants him to stop doing what he's doing but Natsu's stubborness plays against him.
> 
> Storms DO NOT have Skies. They just don't. The Storms power is comprised of every single flame type except Sky. Natsu's eyes flaring orange was an obvious sign there was more to his powers than inicially thought, but I will reintegrate that his Sky flames have nothing to do with his Temporale abilities.
> 
> Kazue-san only noticed his Sky affiliation because a)Not everyone has met a Temporale to be able to identify them by flame presence or eye color alone; and b)What she sees in Natsu's personality is the Sky gravitational pull. He has Chiyo, Elias, Taro and Yurei eating at the palm of his hand, Kyoya is a close associate of his that dotes on him and there's also the vague mentioning of Ryohei instantly taking a liking to him from his long hospital stay.
> 
> Therefor, she simply believed Tsuyoshi to have really bad luck in having a son with active Sky flames. Being the Temporale and having minions wasn't even on the Top 20 scenarios she had imagined.  
> Skies are very self-conscious. They thrive when their families are thriving and suffer when their families are suffering. What's worse is that they are able to intensify those feelings, so if they are happy then everyone is happy but if they're sad... You get the picture.
> 
> Kazue notices immediately that Tsuyoshi refusing to 'behave' around Natsu has made it so that his Sky affiliation paid for it and made his already bad mood to plummet.
> 
> Namimori is Vongola's territory, Primo's land, people can get a somewhat safe life here because no mafia guy is stupid enough to start a fight inside the 'sacred' land and expect no retribution from Vongola.  
> Tsuyoshi really doesn't want Natsushi anywhere near that sword. I don't particularly blame him.
> 
> The concert Cello Concerto in A major B. 10 was created by Antonín Dvořák in 1865 but never exactly finished.  
> Let's assume (please) there were cameras back in the 1880's, this is fiction and whilst I try to keep it as real as I can sometimes it's not worth it.  
> The 'caramel brown eyes' Natsu saw was Gracia, the youngest of the Storms at the time.


	42. Part II - Chapter 14

_White noise meets my ears and I look to **see-...**_

_**NATSUSHI!** _

Nothing.

I was surrounded by nothingness. An empty void where no sound had ever existed.

I couldn't hear my own heartbeat. The sound of my lungs filling with air.

I couldn't hear or see anything.

But my thoughts... Oh, my thoughts screamed at me from inside my head. A cacophony of screams and chants and raging fury all mixed together to form an endless nightmare of mine. Inside of me I believed I felt my heart break, shattering into tiny little pieces that were then scattered inside this void, never to be seen or found again.

What was it that someone said?

**Once you break something it will never be the same no matter how hard you try it to be.**

_Was I broken?_

(When were you ever whole?)

_Was I beyond repair now?_

(You could never be repaired.)

_Was I never to be fixed?_

(You can't fix what doesn't exist, little Temporale...)

**...**

_What?_

Light suddenly assaults my eyes and I instinctively shut them close.

I feel something soft and cold underneath me, I can hear wind rustling tree leaves and birds chirping. The wind blows and something softly tickles my cheeks.

I open my eyes slowly, confused and so tired, to see a blue sky over me, puffy white clouds adorning it, and I somehow find the energy to smile at the sight of it.

**A perfect midday sky.**

_So beautiful._

**Peaceful.**

_Why can things never be this peaceful forever?_

(Come... Come, little Temporale...)

I turn my head slightly to the side, the grass tickles my cheek again, but I cannot see anyone there.

_Who was speaking just now?_

(Come... Get up, little Temporale... Come!)

Against my better judgement I do get up, groaning and whimpering at how bruised and battered my body feels. It's sore and my chest feels heavy, like boulders are weighting me down, and my vision sways when I sit up.

_Why does my body hurt so much?_

(Come now, little Temporale! We must hurry, come now!)

Whoever is speaking is urging me on, midless of my pain, and I feel anger rise within me. I'm tired of people telling me what to do and not realizing how much it's hurting me to try and do exactly that.

Nevertheless I do get up, stumbling the first few steps and taking in my surroundings.

I'm in a forest. Uphill from somewhere, the air here is colder than what I'm used to and cleaner, with tall trees all around me. Grass and dirt and stones cover the ground, mushrooms sprout somewhere near a tree and I see birds and squirrels on the branches way above me.

 _It's not quiet anymore. I'm_ not _inside the void anymore._

(Come! Come!)

The voice calls me somewhere up ahead, I slowly drag my feet after it.

If I had been paying attention correctly, if I wasn't just so exhausted and so, so empty, I would have noticed a major key difference that would've better prepared me for what I was about to see...

**I had no shadow.**

* * *

It seemed like everytime he decided to do something about the situation, something bigger happened that made it all worse.

Natsushi was in the hospital.  ** _Again._**

The doctor was speaking, telling him something, probably asking him questions on how his three year old so managed to make this his fourth or fifth hospital emergency visit in a year alone. If the signs weren't there that something was wrong with his health that couldn't be caused by human actions, I was sure the Child Services Department would already by knocking on his door.

Which would lead him to have to find some excuse for Chiyo's length-y stay at his house.

_God, what a mess..._

The doctor left the room, evidently having said his part, and I was left all alone in the white sterilized room with the damned machine beeping every so often. Seeing Natsu laying unconscious on those white sheets, pale and so gaunt he looked d-...

I swallowed thickly.

He looked  ** _so small_**  on that bed.

So  _young_.

He  _shouldn't_  be going through this.

**He shouldn't be suffering like this!**

_But he is... And there's_ nothing _you can do to make it better._ Don't you remember? _It was the same with_ **him** _too, until your father made him that sword, until he taught him how to_ control  **that** _sword._ It's exactly the same.

**Natsushi isn't Natsume.**

_Isn't he?_ Then why treat him as if they are the same?

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to calm myself.

 **This couldn't continue.**  If Natsu kept getting worse like this...

_Then_ what _can you do to make him better? You_ know _what you are doing now is only making it worse._

I growled in frustration and clenched my fist in anger before smoothing my expression over and calming myself down again.

Once I knew I wasn't about to start yelling at the next person who walked through those doors, I took out a single piece of paper from my pocket, a hurriedly scribbled phone number written on it.

I had been talking to one of my old contacts when Kazue had called me to inform me they were hurrying to the hospital because Natsushi had once again collapsed.

_Except this time he had started to convulse and puking blood._

He could hear Chiyo's terrified screams in the background and he barely had time to call and beg the Falks to take Chiyo somewhere away from the whole chaos when they arrived before he was, once again, driving like crazy to reach the hospital. His heart beating like crazy and dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.

I sighed and looked down at the paper in my hand.

 **One way trip.**  If I called this number Natsu would be able to get what he needed to prevent these situations from happening but in doing so it meant nothing would go back to the way it was.

_It meant staining his hands in red again, digging up his old ledger and writting down new names._

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I dialed that number with no regrets and second thoughts.

**Anything to see my son live.**

"This is Hibari Katashi, who is this?" A smooth voice asks, firmly and with perfect diction.

_**No turning** _ **back** _**.** _

"This is Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, I was told to speak with in about... my son's... affliction." I chose my words carefully.

The other end of the line is silent for a few seconds, I can hear paper being shifted around somewhere and a near silent hum, before the man speaks once more.

"I am pleased that you've chosen to contact me. Is there any immediate danger to your son?" The man asks.

"He's landed himself back in the hospital again, doctors said there's some internal injuries... He's getting worse." I answer, holding me head in my hand.

I hear a chair scrapping the floor and hushed orders being given before the man speaks again.

"My men will be there shortly, I will have someone specialized in flame injuries to join the medical team responsible for him, if you'll allow me." The man adds.

"Please, thank you for helping my son." I try my hardest to not cry in relief.

"No gratitude needed, your son and mine are mutually invested in one another, it's in my families best interest to nurture this investment." The man says," I will contact you again when I have all the details of what this partnership will entail, I assume your contact has informed you of this?"

"Yes, he has." I answer.

"Then I wish you the best and will be in contact soon." The man tells me before the calls shuts off.

I sigh and let my eyes wonder back to Natsu's state on that too large bed.

" _Everything will be okay,_ " I tell him, wishing he could hear me,"  _ **You're**_ **going** _ **to be** **fine** **now.**_ "

* * *

The voice makes me walk an uphill dirt road that seems to lead to the very top of the mountain, or whatever I'm on top of, with a few words of encouragement and many pleas to walk faster.

It better be thankful I was too tired to snarl and cuss back at it for its uncaringness regarding my pain.

_I was so tired._

Finally, after what seemed like hours of dragging myself up the road, I am greeted with a scarily nostalgic sight.

A house, no a manor, made of grey stone with big wide windows. I could see heavy curtains behind them, gently swaying from the breeze coming from an open window. The garden was perfectly arranged and cared for, the grass freshly cut and flowers blooming everywhere. Which was odd since it was too cold for flowers to grow...

_But it was rather warm and sunny now._

I felt as if my head was filled with cotton.

(Come now! Come, come! Almost there!)

The voice urged me on and I complied, I ignored the uneasiness I felt about this whole ordeal and followed the voice through the iron wrought gates, beautifully crafted and gleaming under the sunlight and up the stone staircase and to the front door of the manor.

Heavy oak doors, carved and inlaid with gold and silver and with masterfully crafted knocker and door knobs, and pushed them open. Unlike my belief the doors didn't creak open and didn't shut by themselves behind my back, they smoothly opened and remained open letting me walk inside the big entry hall.

The first thing that jumped to your attention was the opolent marble staircase that lead upstairs, the second being the chandelier that hanged from the high ceiling and glinted tiny sparkles off its crystals.

To my right there was an open room with a long table and around sixteen chairs, rather excessive in my opinion, while on my left there was a luxuriously decorated sitting room with large couches and armchairs.

(No! No! This way!)

The voice brought me out of my observations and led my attention towards a small, almost unoticeable, door that looked as if it led to some boot cupboard. I frowned at it.

_Why should I want to go there?_

(Come! You have to come!)

_Why though? What's so important that it's kept inside a boot cupboard?_

Nonetheless I stepped forward and went to push open the door.

As soon as my fingers brushed across the door I felt a  _shiver_  run down my spine. The saying 'Someone walking over your grave' never felt more real.  **I didn't want to open the door anymore.**

_I didn't want to be here anymore._

(NO! NO! NO! You have to open it!)

The voice very nearly wailed in my ear. I flinched at the loud sound and cursed and it made my whole body hurt.

"Fine! I'll open the damned door but you cannot scream in my ear again! Never!" I grouched, pushing open the door with a bang.

It wasn't a boot cupboard. It led to a small downward staircase, possibly to the basement or something, illuminated by brightly lit torches.

I hesitated before started going down the stairs willing my ears to warn me if something sounded suspitious or something, and almost didn't notice when the torches lost some of their brilliance.

I stopped on the steps and frowned at it.

It didn't look like they were losing their light, the ones I'd passed by were still brightly lit. It was more like these ones had been designed to not glow any brighter than it already was.

"If this descends into complete darkness I'm climbing back up these stairs." I warned the voice as it hummed.

I kept climbing down and watching as the torches gradually descended from brightly lit to darkened enough to dim my surroundings. I could still see perfectly well but it would become an inconvinience to my eyes sooner or later.

(Down here! Come!)

I tripped over my feet when I reached the bottom of the stairs, surprised that the descent wasn't as long as I feared it would be. I found myself in a small circular room with painted murals and heavy curtains covering certain parts of the walls, there was a closed door with a plaque over it written in latin (which I couldn't read or understand) and the floor was made of polished granite.

It was a somewhat sparsely decorated room that made no sense to be found in the basement.

At least until my eyes locked onto the middle of the room.

**A circular basin.**

The circular basin Samael had dunked me into a long time ago.

Chills ran down my spine and I was about to run up those stairs and out of that door when a hand clamps down on my shoulder.

I refuse to acknowledge I might have shrieked like a girl when that happened, whirling around to face whoever it was that stood behind me.

A figure, male, shrouded in white. The only visible part of his face being his mouth and nose. I knew who he was.

"What are you doing here?!" I yelped, taking a step back from him and the basin.

"You have no reason to fear this place, Natsu." Remiel told me, a faint smile on his lips.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I'll be the judge of that... Your  _ **buddy**  _almost drowned me on that thing." I grumbled.

Remiel frowned, a twinge of displeasure visible on his lips, but didn't say another word about it.

"Are you the one who called me all the way down here?" I asked, looking up at him.

He looked over my head to stare at the door behind me.

"Something like that..." He sighed," How have you been, Natsu? It has been a while since we've last seen one another." He changed the subject.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"I have a snarky fox being following me around and giving his two cents about every situation and Azrael keeps annoying me with his abnoxious laughter," I tick off my fingers," My home life is in shambles and my bestfriend is starting to remember dying, my sister has found out I know the future and I have no idea what to do next."

I looked up at him again," Want me to continue?"

His lips twitched.

"No, I think I got the gist of it." He cheekly answered.

I huffed and turned away from him and stared back at the basin.

"Why is this here?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't it be here? It has always been here, at least since the house was built on this location." Remiel told me.

"When was the manor built?" I asked.

"It was built around 1880, but had been in construction since 1876." Remiel answered.

"Who was it built for?" I asked.

"You already know the answer to that, Natsu." He smiled.

_No. No, I really didn't._

"Hey... Remiel?" I hesitated.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You knew every Temporale before me, right?" I asked.

"Yes. Are you interested in knowing about them?" He questioned.

"Just one thing..." I answered.

"And what is that?" He smiled.

_Well... Here goes nothing I guess..._

" **How did Isaia die?** " I asked.

Remiel's smile vanished from his face immediately.

The entire room went quiet and you could've heard a pin drop. All the torches flickered and for a split second I thought we would be plunged into darkness. My heartbeat spiked and I felt something inside my head shriek in alarm before it stopped.

_Everything stopped then swayed before going back to normal._

"It is not yet time for you to know that, Natsu... It is much too soon." He told me, kneeling down to my level, frowning and trying to smile at me to appease my growing anxiety, "You are not ready to know that."

"Shouldn't I be the one to decide that?" I asked, raising a brow at his words.

Remiel shook his head.

"I have met many Temporales before you, little one, I can tell you with all certainty that no, you are not ready yet." He said.

"When will I be ready?" I asked, tired and empty.

Remiel's expression gave me the impression he was saddened, even if he kept smiling at me.

"Hopefully, not for a long time, Natsu." He honestly answered me.

I sighed but nodded, my eyes returning to the basin.

"Why was it put here? What does it do?" I asked him.

"Giotto placed it here many years ago shortly after the manor was completed." Remiel answered, before he frowned," Do you not know what it is?"

I frowned at his words.

"Why would I know what it is?" I asked.

"It's a holy water font." He answered," I thought you'd remember having seen one before." He explained.

I blinked at his words before staring back at the basin.

It was incrediebly simplistic, more like a roughly carved water basin than a religious water spout. The ones I'd seen before were more... eye appealing, I guess.

Though now that he told me what it was, it only confused me more.

"But why is it down here? Wouldn't this be found at the entrance of a church or something? Someplace where people could come to pray?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and trying to ignore the uneasiness that came with standing too close to the damned thing.

"It's purpose here is to bless and purify what lied behind those doors." Remiel explained without actually revealing anything.

"So if I went through those doors I'd find out why that thing is here?" I asked.

Remiel grimaced.

"Yes." Was all he told me.

I shrugged at his answer and turned away from the font and walked up to the doors. They looked heavy and old, like the font it was rather spartan in comparison with the beautiful carved and decorated upstairs which didn't really make sense if this place was somehow extremely important to Giotto.

And wasn't that a question I would want to have an answer to?  ** _Why was this place so important to Giotto?_**

My fingers touched the door and the chill from before returned. I shivered and took a deep breath.

"That felt horrible." I told Remiel.

"You don't have to do this..." He told me.

I looked over my shoulder to see his perturbed expression.

"Liar... You're actively trying to keep me from knowing something." My voice sounds louder than it was in the quiet that follows," You weren't the one who called me here."

He lowers his face.

"No... No, I wasn't." He agrees, ashamed for something I don't understand.

"So, with that conclusion, I do, actually, have to do this." I sighed, turning back to the door and placing both my hands on it.

"Natsu..." Remiel's tone of voice makes me still," Just remember... I am here with you.  _You are_ **never** _alone..._ "

I swallowed thickly.

"Yeah... Fox and Azrael are always telling me that too..." I mumble, taking a deep breath before pushing both doors open with a push.

Unlike the ones above, these do creak as they swing open. The insides are completely dark, as dark as the void, and I take a hesitant step inside only to jump a foot in the air when torches suddenly blaze bright in orange glittering flames.

I blink my eyes several times and rub them to make my sight return.

_... I wish I hadn't..._

I feel the cold ball of dread in the pit of my stomach weight me down and the hollow hole in my chest widening. My eyes stare uncomprehendedly at the sight before me.

**Seven stone boxes...**

**Seven masterfully crafted statues laying down on stone slabs...**

Candles, old and visibly used, litter the shelves organized like church prayer candles. The floor has not one speck of dust on it and I can see flowers reverently places before the stone boxes.

_I never regretted_ knowing _how to read latin letter more than I had in that moment._

The center most box, the one that stared straight back at me, had an iron tablet with a single name and two dates written on it.

_The dates I ignored, it wasn't my time to know them yet._

**But the name...**

"Isaia Belmonte di Vongola" I read, turning to look back at Remiel who still stood at the entrance door to this place...

" _ **What is this place? Why are they here?**_ " I ask him, feeling incredibly faint.

Remiel grimaced and ducked his head, he looked very uncomfortable and out of place standing by those doors.

"Where else would they be, Natsu?" Remiel sighed,"  **This is their Mausoleum...** "

"Their Mausoleum...?" I echoed his words, not registering them in my head. I heard static in my ears and my vision fogged at the edges.

"Yes, little one... Their Mausoleum." Remiel repeated again, walking up to me and placing his hands on my shoulders.

His touch was cold and too light, like he was slowly disappearing.

**"This is the final resting place of the First Storms."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so, let's go over the information:
> 
> Natsu has issues. I think that it's fair to say that at this point, they are not so easily fixed. Poor kid has had trauma pilled on top of him. He gets better, though.
> 
> From my understanding of canon, Tsuyoshi was a hitman for a while. He retired (obviously) but in doing so he also left behind many different contacts and oportunities Natsu and the others could've used. Namely access to specialized medical personel who knew how to heal flame-based damage.
> 
> I have no idea who canon!Kyoya's father is, so I'mma just create my own version, we're going to be seeing more of him in the next few chapters.
> 
> Tsuyoshi is coming out of retirement, not fully, he does have three minors living in his house who require full-time hellicopter parenting else they blow up half of Namimori, but he will no longer be able to stay a 'normal' civilian.
> 
> The manor and it's contents will be explained further next chapter, so I won't really tell you more about it until then.
> 
> That's it for now! So, I'll see you all next time!


	43. Part II - Chapter 15

_"This is the final resting place of the First Storms."_

It felt like time had just stopped existing. Everything stood frozen, unable to move away or run, unable to scream or lash out... Not even being able to talk.

Everything just stood there, lost in the abyss that was this place, this nightmare, whilst trying to understand what I was seeing.

_What I was being told._

What I,  ** _from deep within my crumbling soul_** , already knew.

**This was where Giotto had laid our bodies to rest.**

I remembered this place now... I had been here before...  _Once_...  **Just once**.

Asari Ugetsu had received a letter from home telling about his ill father, he'd left to Japan and later sent word to Giotto he'd have to stay for a while, he's father was getting worse. And, like Giotto was prone to act like, the blond decided to sent Knuckles to Japan to try and heal the man (and unbeknownst to Ugetsu at that time, to also distract him while Giotto got a few things ready).

He'd built this house for him and his guardians to move into once they retired... So Asari could remain close to his family and so that they effectively left Italy to the next Vongola heir and his Guardians to look after...

Giotto had brought us here once, while the house was still being built and lacking any kind of furnishing, and Isaia had spent an entire afternoon laughing at how Giotto was being so perfectionist about his, for lack of a better home, retirement home.

_We had laughed, teased and joked all afternoon..._

_**... And less than a year later we were dead and being entombed underneath it.** _

"Why have you brought me here?" I demanded to know, not even turning to look at Remiel, my voice sounding hoarse.

"There's something here you should be aware of." He replied, his hands cold and light on my shoulders.

"What. Is. It." I growled out, hands curling into fists beside me, anger surging inside me without my prompting.

I felt fury lick at the awareness of my mind, begging to be released, to burn and rage and destroy.

"What do you see on every single statue? What are they holding?" He asked, leaning over me to speak quietly and passionately," Can you see them?"

_See..._ them _?_

My eyes trailed every statue, wavering and watering just as my heart crackled and bled at the sight of my Storms, my beautiful  _perfect_  Storms, captured in cold stone coffins.  **Long since lost in the embrace of death...**

I flinched in anticipation when something glinted through the corner of my eye, half expecting something to pop out of the shadow-y corners, but frowned when I noticed it was coming out of one of the statues hands, Nicola's statue I was disheartened to realize, and (against my better instincts) stepped closer to it.

I was startingly small beside the coffin, my head barely reaching the top of it, and could not, for the life of me, reach out to the statues hands. I turned to look at Remiel.

"I can't reach it." I told him.

He walked towards me, reached over and plucked the object from the hands reverently, holding whatever it was with great care. Remiel then knelt down beside me and opened his cupped hands.

There, glinting under the weak candle light, was something that I vaguely recognized. Like a faint nostalgic feeling that told me I did know what it was but never quite grasping it.

"It's a locket..." I remarked, "Why is there a locket in his hands?"

Remiel gave me the impression he was quietly disappointed and anxious at the same time.

"Do you not remember? It is his locket after all... The one you gave him." He answered slowly.

_The locket... I_ gave _him?_

_**... What?** _

I frowned, never in my memories (the ones I remembered at least) did I ever see Nicolas wear a locket.  **Never.**  If I had given him one, wouldn't I remember giving it to him? Would I remember to look for it every time I saw him?

_In any case the only one I could state that wore a locket would be...-_

**...**

**_Oh._ **

I focused back on Remiel's face.

"Everyone had a locket." I told him, slowly turning away to look at the rest of the statues hands.

Sure enough, I could make out their glinting metal peaking out from underneath their fingers.

"Do you remember why?" Remiel asked, a lot more hopeful.

"No." I dashed those thoughts, "I remembered Gracia wearing one that looked exactly like that except her stone was red." I added.

"Ah." The white shrouded man sighed.

"I don't have one." I noticed my own statue lacking the particular glint of a metal locket.

"You don't." Remiel shook his head," You had something else.  ** _You have it with you right now._** " He told me.

I turned back to him and frowned, once again, barely restraining myself from talking back a few biting words and looked down at myself.

I was wearing exactly what I was wearing when we went to Kazue-san's house. Nothing was out of place so... what could he be talking about?

I put my hands in my pockets and froze when I felt something cold touch my fingers.

I pulled whatever it was out of the pocket and stared at it.

Just...  _stared_.

**_"What is_ this _?"_**

* * *

Tsuyoshi paced outside of his son's room desperately hoping the doctor would come out of the room and tell him exactly what had happened. Like the man had promised a doctor aware of and specializing in flames had arrived not two hours after he had made the phone call, proceeding to ask the father way too many questions he had been astoudingly upset he could't answer reliably.

Natsushi didn't ask him anything about flames. No, he didn't know exactly how his son had found out about flames. No, he wasn't sure no one had told him about them. Natsushi didn't know or talk to that many people.

Then, when the man started to ask him about what Natsushi did to spend his time, Tsuyoshi realized he actually hadn't asked his son (his youngest, his baby boy, who was the spitting image of the best friend he had loved dearly, who shared the same compassionate and selfless heart as his mother) that exact question in...  _months_... more, probably.

Not since Natsu had told him that the Storms were more important than the rest of the family. Not since Tsuyoshi had realized that he was going to lose two of his children to the mafia, one way or another, and that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Natsushi had been right, of course (his perfect, loving, young,  _so gut wrenchingly young_ , son was always right), there was nothing Tsuyoshi could do other than impair and slow their progress down. Sooner or later they both knew the Storms (all of them merely children) would grow too powerful to go unnoticed and, coincidentaly, too powerful to go untrained.

_God, this situation was a mess..._

Before he could spiral down into increasingly darkening thoughts the door behind him opened and the tall dark haired doctor Hibari Katashi had sent him walked out. He's face was impassive but there was a heavy look in his eyes.

"Sensei, what is wrong with him?" I ask as soon as the man closes the door again.

The man doesn't answer right away, seemingly gathering his thoughts before straightening and settling for a fridgid expression.

"Your son has been experiencing slow corrosion inside his core for the better part of two years now, the damage is quite extensive but thankfully nothing we can't heal. As for the cause..." The doctor trailed off.

Tsuyoshi didn't hurry him for an answer, he felt like a bucket of water had just been dumped on him. His...  _ **His core had been corroding for years?**_  And he had never noticed?

"Natsushi has always been...  _sickly_..." He told the doctor slowly," He's been sent to the hospital at least three times more than either of his siblings."

"At what age did his... sick disposition start?" The doctor asked, eyes focusing intently on him.

Tsuyoshi thought back to all the memories he had of Natsu, anguish and loss coloring his expression when he thought back to how Mariko was so in love with her child when they brought him home...  **How their lives felt complete with the new addition of him into their little family.**

"He had to be a few months old? Maybe a year old...?" Tsuyoshi frowned," Mariko stayed up with him all night, gave us all a fright when his fever wouldn't go down..."

He remembered that night, mostly because of the piercing cry that had tore out of Natsushi when Takeshi had unknowingly frightened the poor kid in an attempt at helping him. A childish and redundant attempt but Tsuyoshi thought it was the intention that mattered.

"That long..." The man murmured, "Your son is a mystery, Yamamoto-san. I have never seen anything like it." The man told him.

"Never?" Tsusyoshi frowned, internally begging for any deity listening in that Natsushi's Temporale status wouldn't be so easily revealed.

"Your son has  _a very strange core_ , ignoring the corrosion for now since we can heal that and prevent it from happening again, there's something you should know about it." The man leans in slightly towards him and speaks calmly and quietly, effortlessly making sure his voice didn't carry away from them.

" **There are two distinct flame sources inside your son's core** , one shrouded inside the other,  **but both terrifyingly strong.**  The reason your son's core is corroding is because his body is  _producing too many flames_   ** _uncontrollably_** , his body is breaking down." He stated," But that's not what shocked me the most, Yamamoto-san..."

Tsuyoshi tensed.

"What shocked you, sensei?" He asked, feeling faint and chilled to the bone.

**"Tell me... Do you know your son has two different genetic codes inside him?"**

* * *

I held the ring in my hand, it was warm and didn't seem to weigh anything, the light caught the gem adorning it and broke off it's surface in a shimmering sparkle. The deep crack that ran across it's surface looked jagged and somewhat meaningful.

"This is the Temporale ring... Giotto had this made for Isaia." I was distantly aware that my voice, unlike my raging heart and mind, was collected and perfectly enunciated.

"Yes, do you remember the ring?" Remiel asked.

_Did I remember this ring?_  I knew what it was, something inside of me crooned at its proximity, hundreds of whispers inside my head furiously told me to put it on, but I didn't remember having it.

I turned it over in my hands and restrained from showing any outward emotion when I saw the designs on the sides.

Of f-ing course this would be it... No wonder Father and Mama hadn't wanted me to have it.

_**The designs on the side were the exact ones the ring Grandfather had given me had.** _

"This ring is complete... The one I have has no gemstone." I tell Remiel, "Why is this one complete?"

"Because the ring belongs with the lockets." Remiel answered, " **It was never meant to be taken apart.** "

I frowned minutely in thought, my mind kept raging at me but I ignored it. I felt like I was standing in the eye of the Storm, while everything else around me was blown apart and destroyed, while chaos existed all around me, I merely stood and watched in peace and quiet, in tranquility and with only a vague and detached interest in the whole ordeal.

_I felt tired._

The emotional upveal this whole damn thing made me go through had long since gone past the 'acceptable' levels. Despite my wishings pain and soreness could still be felt all throughout my body.

_I ached all over._

" _ **If it was never meant to be taken apart... Why did exactly that happen?**_ " I asked him.

Remiel shuffled sightly in place.

"It was a decision someone made. Giotto and the others did not approve of it." Remiel answered.

"Who made that decision?" I asked.

" **Vongola Secondo.** " Remiel answered, lips locking into a small frown,"  _What are you thinking, Temporale?_ "

I could see it now...  _The dream_... A dream I had so long ago...  **A red eyed man tossing something inside a well.**

My thumb touched the crack the gemstone had, barely registering Remiel's quiet questioning.

"What am I thinking...?" I murmured, looking back at him.

His frowned deepened.

"You weren't the one that brought me here...  _You_  told me that." I said, eyes focusing solely on him.

"I wasn't." Remiel nodded slowly.

" **Who did?** " I asked.

Remiel was quiet for a few seconds, mulling over my question inside his head.

"I... I cannot answer that, Natsu.  _It's much too soon_." He told me, leaning over slightly and smiling.

He all but bled off anxious energy in waves.

"What do you mean 'it's too soon'?!" I bit out, eyes narrowing and fire building inside my gut.

Remiel's smile slipped off his face and he leaned back and away from me.

"Natsu..." He frowned, coming off as somewhat disapproving.

" **Where's Samael?** " I asked him suddenly.

Remiel looked taken aback.

"What?" He looked unbalanced by my sudden switch in conversation.

"Samael. Where is he?" I repeated.

His frown deepened.

"He is... unavailable." He answers.

" **Liar.** " I take a step away from him.

Remiel looks stricken.

" _ **Where is Azrael? Where's the Fox?**_ " I asked him, "They told me they would always be with me...  **Where are they?!** " I yelled.

Remiel goes to take a step closer to me, to reach out and grab me (possibly) but stops.

" _They are not here..._ " He answers.

" **Then you lied and I _am_  alone.**" I take another step back.

"You are not alone, Natsu..." Remiel smiles again, "I'm right here."

I take another step backwards and shake my head.

"No...  ** _You are not here for me._** " I tell him nearly whispering, "You are here to tell me what you need to tell me and nothing more." I state.

Remiel's shroud seems to flicker hazily.

"Why haven't you putten on the ring?" He asks out of nowhere.

_It ticks me off._

I glance down at the ring in my hand and register the hundreds of voices still screaming at me to put it on.

**_He knows... He knows about the voices..._ **

"Why haven't I put it on...?" I look back at him," Why would I do that?"

Remiel flickers once again and I can see panic start to line his expression.

" _Something is not right..._ " He murmurs, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I feel a stab of pain inside my heart just as an alarm shrieks inside my head.

_**LET GO OF THE RING!** _

I throw it away from me as soon as the scream registers, eyes widening when I see it crash through the floor and disappear in a burst of flames.

Remiel's panic soars throught the roof.

" _ **Master! Master, something is wrong!**_ " He yells.

My heartbeat spikes and my pain intensifies.

The whole world stops and lurches before everything explodes with a shattering sound. Light pours out of nowhere and I am blinded by it. Closing my eyes I am left vulnerable for whatever it is that caused that explosion.

_Fear takes root inside of me and I scream._

**"LET ME OUT OF HERE!"**

"Natsushi!" A voice snaps me out of it.

My eyes fly open and I jump to my feet, proceeding to trip over them in my haste to get up.

"Hey, it's okay... I'm not going to hurt you." The same voice tells me, calmly and quietly from beside me.

I turn my head to see a young man, a teenager, smartly dressed  _with a single visible eye_.

An eye that had the same exact color as my own and a face I'd recognize anywhere.

**Isaia...**

"You're dead." I blurt out.

The teen blinks before giving me a sad smile.

"Yeah,  _technically_." He agrees.

"Technically? How can you be 'technically dead'?!" I refuse to acknowledge my squeak at seeing him here.

"Well... You're here, you're alive." He smiles,"  ** _For as long as you're alive, I will be too._**  We are the same, you and I."

I frown at his words, hugging my knees against my chest and resting my head on top of them.

"We're not the same, though... Not really." I tell him," We both want the same for the Storms, but  _I'm not you_."

He sits beside me, looming over me due to his height, and sighs.

"Astonishingly, you are correct." He admits," We are not the same. And that complicates things."

I look at him through the corner of my eye.

"Complicates things how?" I ask him.

He stills for a moment and mulls for an answer, tilting his head to the side, something Chiyo told me I also did sometimes.

"... Do you know what it means for me to be here, Natsu?" He asks.

I turn to face him fully.

"You're a figment of my imagination." I tell him bluntly, "Like everything I see in here, these are dreams, memories and random thoughts my mind decides to picture into reality."

Isaia laughs ruefully for a moment.

"True enough, but not me." He nods," Your soul is my own, though your conscience is not." He says," Do you understand what I am saying?"

I frown at his words.

" **While we have the same soul we have different minds.** " I nod, "And that makes us both two different people." I answer.

Isaia sighs again.

"Which makes things difficult." He tells me,"  **You were not supposed to be any different than all the other Temporales before you.** " He then frowns," But somehow you are..."

"Is that really that problematic? From what I hear all the other Temporales before me failed at recreating your dream goal." I point out.

Isaia flinches for some reason.

"My goal, Natsu...  _Was to create a peaceful life for my Storms._ " He tells me.

"In order to do so you have to make yourself untouchable." I voice out my thoughts," You have to make everyone else think twice before crossing you, if that means placing the fear of monsters in them I am willing to do that."

"That side of you scares me more than I'd like to admit." He sighs, eye weary as he looks down at me.

I blink, confused, up at him.

"I, the tiny three year old, scare you, the first Temporale?" I try very hard not to let sarcasm tinge my words.

"The ease to which you would lay waste to your enemies is what frightens me." He replies stiffly.

I frown, understanding his words but not really agreeing with him.

"You do realize that if Vongola finds us here they will have us enslaved or killed, right?" I ask him,"  **I am willing to give a prehemptive strike to avoid a direct confrontation, which I have no delusions of winning, I do not consider that that makes me a bad person.** "

Isaia shifts in his spot on the ground and messes up his hair, he looks increasingly haggard.

"All men are equal before God. That's what I've always been told and what I choose to believe." He speaks," Men have no right to decide who lives and who dies."

I am taken aback at his words.

" _You are a hypocrite._ " I tell him.

Isaia's scandalized face is, in hindsight, priceless.

"You tell me 'men have no right to decide who lives or dies' yet you are the one who killed people for a living." I tell him," You saved Lampo by killing those men without a second glance, you saved Chiara and in doing so you killed the men who held her captive, you saved Giotto and in doing so impaled a man with a metal rod in a single throw." I count my fingers," And there's probably a thousand more confrontations I do not remember  _yet_."

Isaia lowers his head.

"I have the devil inside of me." He nods," And I told myself God would punish me for my sins and he has."

"Samael is no devil." I almost snarl back at him," He's a jackass who thinks it's funny to mess with people's fears but he's not a devil or a demon or anything like that!"

Isaia shakes his head at my words.

"It's in matters like these where the differences between the two of us become more noticeable." Isaia says,"  **You are the first Temporale to ever relate with your own darkness better than with your own light.** "

"There's a first time for everything, I guess." I snark,"  _Azrael is a part of me_ ,  _ **my**  _shadow,  _a presence that never leaves me, the voice that is always in the back of my mind. And I am glad for him._ " I tell him.

Isaia's gaze is weighed, like he's trying to find something to say but never quite settling for words.

The forest is quiet for a few moments.

"Okay..." Isaia murmurs.

"Okay? What?" I frown.

"There's a first time for everything, correct?" He smiles faintly," Then I will not intervene anymore, choose your own path, Natsu, and I pray that you choose the right path." He tells me as he gets up.

He looks down at me, eye shimmering and blazing brightly, and lends a hand to me.

"Get up, Yamamoto Natsushi, the world outside is wating for you to wake up." He smiles.

I reach for his hand, my hand warming when it comes into contact with his.

" **Rise, Yamamoto Natsushi, Settimo Temporale.** " Isaia speaks.

_And then I know no more._

* * *

Waking up in a hospital bed, feeling like hell warmed over, is slightly losing its novelty. More so when I notice Father sitting in a chair beside my bed, looking exhausted with dark shadows underneath his eyes and with his hair in a disarray.

He imediately notices I'm awake, his eyes widen and light up, and I expect him to shout something or call for a nurse.

What I was not expecting was for him to grab me and pull me close to him, hugging me fiercely, me head pressed against the crook of his neck.

My body is sore and the sudden manhadling causes some discomfort but I ignore it. The warmth of his body is familiar and I relax into it, his heartbeat thumps steadily in his chest.

"Never do that again, Natsushi." His voice is hoarse, like he's been shouting for hours, and there's a waver in it that belies his actual composure underneath his calm expression.

_He was worried. Very worried. And he's relieved now..._

"I... I can't promise that..." I tell him, a half-truth. I couldn't promise him that mostly because when Vongola came I was not going to stand idly in the sidelines waiting for them to find us.

I hear him sigh, he hold me closer to him and I'm pulling at the seams to find the resolve to break it before it becomes unbearable to have to go without it later.

"I always thought it'd be your brother who would give me grey hairs, not you..." Father teases.

"Takeshi? Not Chiyo?" I asked him, I always thought Chiyo was more of a handful growing up than Takeshi, but maybe that's just because Chiyo and I were always together.

I can nearly see the tired grin that's surely on his face at my words.

"Your sister is bound to give me an early heart attack sooner or later," He jokes," But you, you  _rascal_ , are the only one always ends up in here every time I let you out of my sight."

"S'not Kazue-san's fault..." I find the need to interject.

"I know." Father sighs,"  _It's no one's fault..._ " He whispers.

That last part was probably not meant to be heard.

"Y-y-you know..." I stutter, closing my eyes and finding the will inside me to spit out the words I needed to say," I  _haven't_  forgotten anything. I'm still going to train with Kyoya and the others."

Father sighs again and, once again, I'm expecting him to pull away and start yet another argument with me about how I was only a child and how this was not my conflict (ignoring the fact I was not actually just a child and how this was very much my conflict).

"I know..." He tells me instead,"  _You are the Temporale and you have to do what's right by them..._  I understand that now."

What? I frown.

" _ **Just as I will do what's right by you three.**_ " He says quietly.

Those words ressonate inside me, carrying a deeper meaning to them, and something hums inside my head.

It's faint but I feel like that hum is trying to tell me something.  _Like an int-..._

Father is talking again, I focus on his words.

"(...)... And Kyoya-kun should be arriving soon, he's going to stay with you whilst I go home to rest a while." I catch the last part of the conversation.

"Kyoya?" I blink.

Father pulls away then, a resigned tug on his lips, and he pats my head, messing up my hair.

"Kyoya's father was the one that got that doctor I told you about for you. He's...  _invested_... in your... friendship." Father picks his words carefully but I catch the underlying tension underneath them.

"What's actually going on?" I ask him.

Father sighs again but shakes his head.

"It's adult matters, Natsushi." His eyes are serious," Don't worry."

_Of course, those words only mean there's something to worry about..._

He leaves soon after that, as soon as a nurse comes in to check in on me and finds me awake (Father got an earful about not telling them imediately) and I'm all alone for a little while.

I close my eyes and try to catch some more sleep before Kyoya gets here, I was certain I wouldn't be sleeping much between him chewing me out for landing back in the hospital so soon and berate me for not taking care of myself.

Probably was not a good idea since I woke up to Kyoya's overwhelming presence as soon as I opened my eyes half and hour later.

"You  _ **will not**_  do this again." He says the moment he notices I'm awake.

I give him a rueful smile and shrug.

"I can try not to?"

_His returning glare is_ **not** _endearing. It is_ **not** _amusing_ **nor** _is it charming._

**_But damned if it didn't make me grin up at him._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Okay, so in my version of KHR, Giotto built a house/manor/mansion in what is now Namimori back before he gave up his role as Vongola Primo to his sucessor, and after the Storms died he brought their bodies back with him and buried them there.
> 
> \- The lockets. Originally these were going to be presented way later in the story, but delaying this would not lead to anything other than the Storms being slightly weaker in the long run. To describe what the lockets are like, they look like small iron oval pendants with detailed carvings around a gemstone (of varying colors and attributes) that opens on one side.
> 
> \- The Hibari are going to be a lot more prominent in this story then what they are in canon, obviously, and are a lot more involved in the underground than what they seem. Tsuyoshi, by asking them for help, is basically owing them one, but since they've discovered that Natsushi is a sky (his Temporale status is only known to Kazue-san, Tsuyoshi and the Grandparents) they (the Hibari) believe Kyoya to have bonded with Natsu. 
> 
> This means the Hibari are looking to integrate Natsu into their family to prevent him from leaving and potentially taking Kyoya (and Yurei) away from the family.
> 
> \- Natsushi's genetic code is something I've eluded to for a while now. Back when Natsu saw Isaia's reflection he noted they looked very similar with one another but due to the fact he was the Temporale now it got swept under the rug.
> 
> That was a mistake on his part. They are effectively reincarnations but apart from Natsu's and Isaia's mirror like appearances all the others vary, eye color is not the same, demeanors differ and they do not remember the first generation of Storms.
> 
> This was a small hint that Natsu is more than just the Temporale. His core was also a rather glaring plot point with him having sky flames hidden inside his Temporale flames, which make no sense since Natsushi is descendant from Ugetsu's line (rain), his father and brother both having rain flames (active and inactive respectfully) and his mother having an undisclosed flame type (that is not sky, I assure you). That means the sky flames came out of nowhere.  
> It didn't.
> 
> Natsushi has his parent's genetic code inside him and an unknown one, basically making him effectively two people at one.
> 
> \- The reason why Isaia did not have a locket. The Temporale ring (half of which was gifted to Natsu by his grandfather a while back) acts like a focus for flames (again, kind of), with a twist, and rends the locket purpose obsolete. This ring is something Secondo and Giotto fought over after Isaia's death, ending with Giotto bringing half of it to Namimori and the other half being dropped inside a well.
> 
> \- Remiel... It's difficult to explain what exactly he is now. You are most likely aware of who/what he is but if there's someone out there that doesn't know it yet, I'm not going to spoil it for now. It's all going to be explain later, anyways.
> 
> \- Isaia. Now this was the hardest part for me to write in this whole chapter, and the scene which I am not 100% happy with, but I digress. Like I said earlier, Natsu and Isaia are special reincarnations, Isaia is the start of everything basically and Natsu is just another cog in the wheel of creation. Technically Natsu should just be an exact copy of Isaia but (as it's going to become more and more apparent) he's not.
> 
> They have vastly different personalities and, ultimately, goals. You'll see parallels between the two but in the end, Natsushi is his own person, something Isaia (the remnant of him anyways) is worried about what these differences will mean for the future. In the end he agrees to let Natsu try it out his way, and Natsu ignores the rule about never believing an argument is over because someone says so without honest proof it is.
> 
> \- Azrael and Natsushi. The main difference between Isaia and Natsushi was that Isaia related more with his light, believing himself a good person despite 'holding the devil inside him', Natsu however is more than aware of the shades of grey the world is made of and has accepted the fact that he may have to get his hands dirty and take lives if it means the Storms will not be killed or enslaved.  
> It's also very hypocritical of Isaia to say what he said (and a call back, if ya caught it) but *something* *something* happened that led to his opinion on the matter changing.
> 
> \- Settimo Temporale (means Seventh Temporale/Thunderstorm) is Natsushi's official title, which he will use in later chapters, the reason why it's only Seventh despite there having been more than twice the amount of Temporales than Vongola bosses will also be explored later.  
> \- Natsushi and his father still have a lot more talking to do between the two of them, but they're going to be alright.  
> \- Kyoya and Natsu also have a lot of talking to do... Next chapter, hehehe.


End file.
